Analysis of broccoli florets reveals what phytochemicals are present in young and mature broccoli

Chonbuk National University (South Korea), October 13, 2020

The most notable compounds present in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are the sulfur-containing glucosinolates (GSLs), which are converted inside the body into isothiocyanates (ITCs). ITCs have anti-cancer properties and are capable of not only inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, but also inducing apoptosis, or cell death.

In a recent study, South Korean researchers investigated the changes in GSL concentration, total phenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant activities that occur during the development of broccoli florets grown in open field conditions. Previous studies have found that all of these are influenced by various factors, such as plant genotype, growing season, plant parts, fertilization levels, temperature and irrigation, postharvest storage conditions, developmental stages and even cultivation year.

The researchers reported their findings in an article published in the Chilean Journal of Agricultural Research.

Broccoli’s phytochemical content changes with maturity

To understand the influence of developmental stages on broccoli’s phytochemical content, particularly that of GSLs, the researchers studied the florets of six broccoli (Brassica oleracea) genotypes at three different inflorescence developmental stages. They found that the presence of specific compounds and the level of antioxidant activity of broccoli significantly varied between different genotypes and developmental stages.

Of the eight GSLs known to be present in broccoli, the researchers found only five in all the genotypes they studied at certain developmental stages. Toward the later stages, the researchers noted that the levels of glucoraphanin (GRA), a major GSL, significantly increased. GRA is converted into sulforaphane inside the body by the enzyme myrosinase. Besides preventing cancer, sulforaphane also helps reduce inflammation, promotes liver detoxification, improves heart health and treats peptic ulcer disease caused by Helicobacter pylori.

Meanwhile, glucobrassicin (BRA), another known cancer-preventive agent, showed a reverse accumulation pattern in broccoli, with the highest levels detected in very young broccoli. The concentrations of other minor GSLs varied depending on the broccoli genotype.

The researchers also reported that the vegetable’s total phenolic and ascorbic acid(vitamin C) content also increased significantly as the florets matured. This observation was true for all the studied genotypes. However, a relatively higher increase in ascorbic acid (65.8 to 100.9 percent) than phenolic content (10.2 to 31.2 percent) was observed in broccoli.

The vegetable’s flavonoid content exhibited a cultivar-dependent accumulation pattern throughout the developmental stages. Its antioxidant activity, meanwhile, increased with inflorescence development. This increase was higher than the increase in broccoli’s total phenolic content but lower than the increase in its ascorbic acid content.

The researchers got the highest value for GRA, ascorbic acid, total phenol and antioxidant activities for the 09FA-M295 cultivar at the commercial stage. Regardless of genotype and inflorescence developmental stage, broccoli’s total phenolic content showed the highest correlation with its antioxidant activity, followed by ascorbic acid and flavonoids. GSLs showed a non-significant correlation with antioxidant activity.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that the phytochemical content of broccoli varies depending on its developmental stage.

Inadequate intake of vitamin C could play a role in respiratory viral illness and long-term effects

Augusta University and Medical College of Georgia, October 14, 2020

Low levels of vitamin C could make people more prone to COVID-19 infection and severe disease and could help explain some disparities, researchers at Augusta University said.

It could also help explain why some patients feel long-term effects from the infection, which could be likened to a type of accelerated aging, the researchers said.

Vitamin C has long been shown to help boost the immune system, and many patients with COVID-19 were given the supplement early in the pandemic when there was a lack of effective therapies. There are at least 30 clinical trials listed on the Clincaltrials.gov web site looking at vitamin C as a therapy or in combination with other supplements and drugs to treat COVID-19 or prevent infection or subsequent damage, though many have yet to begin or are just underway.

Deficient levels of vitamin C have been shown or are suspected to play a role in many disease processes, from scurvy to chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, and levels have been shown to decrease with age, according to a study from Dr. Carlos M. Isales, a co-director of the Center for Healthy Aging at AU; Dr. Sadanand Fulzele, a researcher at the center; and Medical College of Georgia student Gregory Patterson.

It could help explain why the elderly are suffering far more severe disease and deaths from COVID-19 and might help to explain other disparities, Isales said. For instance, men have been shown to have higher rates of COVID-19 infection and severe disease and men generally have lower levels of vitamin C than women, although it is not clear why, Fulzele said.

Blacks also typically have lower levels of vitamin C than whites, and Blacks have suffered disproportionately from COVID-19 in Georgia and across the United States. In Georgia, for example, Blacks make up 32.6% of the population but have suffered 42% of the COVID-19 deaths, according to an analysis by The Augusta Chronicle. In Richmond County, where Blacks make up 57.7% of the population, the death rate is 85 per 100,000 from COVID-19 compared with 39.1 per 100,000 in Columbia County, where Blacks make up 18.8% of the population, according to data from the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Census Bureau.

Part of the problem might be because of differences in diet, Fulzele said. But a genetic defect in how the body processes vitamin C is more prevalent in Blacks as well, he said. Vitamin C needs help to get into cells, and the defect is in these “transporters,” Fulzele said. Levels of these transporters also go down with age, Isales said.

“To me, the vitamin C transporter is the most important thing,” Fulzele said.

The AU group, which is focused on aging, has looked at whether the levels of those transporters could be increased, Isales said. Treating stem cells with the steroid dexamethasone did increase those transporter levels and doubled the level of vitamin C getting into the cells, Fulzele said.

The AU team, which has previously studied vitamin C deficiency and its role in age-related problems such as bone loss, is also interested in looking at what happens to COVID-19 patients who suffer problems long after the initial infection seems to wear off, Isales said. Many of those symptoms look similar to problems elderly people experience, he said.

“I view COVID as a model for accelerated aging,” Isales said.

Though therapies are getting better at treating those initial infections, there might be a need to treat the chronic problems that persist afterward, he said. COVID-19 could trigger a low level of inflammation that leads to that accelerated aging that vitamin C could play a role in addressing, Isales said.

For instance, many complain of ongoing fatigue, he said.

“They develop a lot of the symptoms you see with aging,” Isales said.

And that could be the bigger problem going forward, he said.

“I think COVID, even with vaccines, is here to stay,” Isales said. “We are going to have this population with chronic COVID infections. What are we going to do with them?”

Can Meditation Help with ADHD?

Using Focus to Rewire the Brain

Psychology Today, October 12, 2020

We know from decades of research that meditation can have a positive effect on a variety of cognitive skills related to ADHD including attention, reaction time, and memory. For example, Emory University found that Zen practitioners had faster reaction times than control subjects. Skidmore College found that regular meditation was associated with more accurate, efficient, and flexible visual attention processing across a variety of tasks. The University of Pennsylvania found that subjects attending an eight-week mindfulness meditation course demonstrated significant improvements in selective attention and distraction.

Not only has meditation been shown to improve performance on cognitive tasks, but it has also been shown to change the structure and function of the brain in ways that are directly related to ADHD. While there are many different brain patterns associated with ADHD, perhaps the most common relates to having an underactive brain-a lack of activation, particularly in the frontal lobes. This pattern of hypo-arousal has been observed in studies examining glucose metabolism, brain blood flow, and brainwaves (Bush, 2010). What this essentially means is that the stereotypical ADHD brain is under-aroused, which is why stimulant medications often help! If the frontal lobes of the brain are not getting enough activation, they are unable to do their job efficiently or effectively. Because the frontal lobes are very much involved in executive functions such as impulse control and sustained attention, these are the skills often impacted.

Not surprisingly, strategies to manage ADHD often involve waking up the frontal lobes, increasing brain blood flow and reducing slow brain wave activity. These strategies include stimulant medications, exercise, diet/nutrition, and cognitive skills training, which is where Focus meditation comes in.

Meditation can be defined as a “systematic mental training designed to challenge habits of attending, thinking, feeling, and perceiving”. Different forms of meditation involve different skills and tasks. For example, focus styles of meditation emphasize holding attention on a single object (the breath, a mantra, or a visual image). When the mind inevitably wanders from its target, the meditator recognizes this as soon as possible and returns attention to the target.

Essentially, this form of meditation is training the person in skills associated with sustaining attention, minimizing distractions, self-monitoring, and promptly redirecting focus. These are exactly the skills needed by someone managing ADHD. Luckily, the brain is extremely adaptive and “plastic” or malleable. It will almost always change in response to how you use it. So, if you want the brain to get better at paying attention, the most effective way to do this is to practice paying attention

One of the most impressive research studies to demonstrate the impact of meditation was conducted by a group of researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences. The subjects in this study were enrolled in a 9-month meditation program which was composed of three consecutive meditative training modules designed to address different meditation-based skills (attention, compassion, and perspective-taking). In essence, the subjects received specific training in one style of meditation for 3 months and then switched to the next style for 3 months. Between each three-month interval, the subjects received a battery of tests that even included an MRI to determine if any areas of the brain grew over the course of the training. This study revealed that each of the three training modules resulted in different brain changes and different skills improvement. The Focus-based training resulted in brain growth in the prefrontal cortex as well as improvement in executive attention and conflict resolution .

This, and many other studies, show clear evidence that meditation can directly influence the brain to reduce ADHD symptoms. Of course, this means we are asking someone with ADHD to do exactly the thing they struggle with, to pay attention on purpose to a boring task. Just like reps at the gym, these brain exercises strengthen the areas of the brain that the person most needs. To increase the likelihood of success, it is helpful to provide a variety of supports or aides for the ADHD meditator.

Sleep health dictates success of practicing mindfulness

University of South Florida, October 14, 2020

Sleeping an extra 29 minutes each night can be the key to improving mindfulness, a critical resource that has benefits for daily well-being and work performance. Mindfulness is achieved by purposefully bringing an individual’s awareness and attention to experiences occurring in the present moment without forming an opinion. Unlike previous studies, new research published in Sleep Health looked at how multiple dimensions of nightly sleep impact daily mindfulness, rather than just focusing on sleep quality or duration.

The study led by the University of South Florida found better sleep improves next-day mindfulness, which in turn, reduces sleepiness during the day. The research focused on nurses, the largest group of healthcare professionals whose need for optimal sleep and mindful attention are particularly high. Sleep problems are common in this population due to long shifts, lack of situational control and close proximity to life-threatening health conditions. Their optimal sleep health and mindful attention are particularly important as they work the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“One can be awake and alert, but not necessarily mindful. Similarly, one can be tired or in low arousal but still can be mindful,” said lead author Soomi Lee, assistant professor of aging studies at USF. “Mindful attention is beyond being just being awake. It indicates attentional control and self-regulation that facilitates sensitivity and adaptive adjustment to environmental and internal cues, which are essential when providing mindful care to patients and effectively dealing with stressful situations.”

Lee and her colleagues from USF and Moffitt Cancer Center followed 61 nurses for two weeks and examined multiple characteristics of sleep health, They found that nurses’ mindful attention was greater than their usual after nights with greater sleep sufficiency, better sleep quality, lower efficiency and longer sleep duration (an extra half-hour longer). Daily mindful attention contributed to less same-day sleepiness. Those with greater mindful attention were also 66% less likely to experience symptoms of insomnia during the two-week study period.

Researchers come to these conclusions by using a variety of tools to measure how much participants were mindful each daily moment and how their mental states were impacted by sleep. Participants were prompted to answer daily mindfulness and sleepiness questions three times a day for two weeks using the smartphone application, RealLife Exp. Daily mindfulness was measured by the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, which asked questions such as, “I was doing something automatically, without being aware of what I was doing,” and “I was finding it difficult to stay focused on what was happening.” Participants also wore an Actiwatch Spectrum device for the same two weeks that measured wrist movement activity to quantify sleep and wake patterns.

Findings from this study provide insight into developing a behavioral health intervention strategy for a broader array of healthcare workers who need better sleep and mindful attention. Given the association between mindful attention and better patient care, improving sleep in this population may provide important benefits to patient health outcomes as well.

Replacing asphalt with forest-type plants at daycare centers found to strengthen immune defenses in children

University of Helsinki (Finland), October 15, 2020

A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in Finland and one in the Czech Republic has found that replacing asphalt in play areas at daycare centers with natural vegetation can lead to stronger immune defenses in the children at the centers. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes removing asphalt from play areas at several daycare centers and replacing it with forest floor vegetation, and what they found when they tested the children who attended the centers.

Prior research has suggested that one of the reasons for increased rates of autoimmune diseases in many parts of the world, such as inflammatory bowel disease, type 1 diabetes, eczema and asthma, is lack of exposure to elements that push children’s immune systems to respond. The thinking is that repeated exposure to natural elements like dust, dirt and pollen while young strengthens the immune system. Researchers have noted that children living in some urban areas are most at risk of missing out on such exposure and that might explain their higher rates of autoimmune diseases. In this new effort, the researchers sought to test this theory by changing the environment in which such children play—playgrounds at daycare centers in urban areas.

To learn more about the possible impact of exposure to natural elements, the researchers received permission to replace the asphalt at several daycare centers in two of Finland’s major cities—and then to replace it with turf dug up from forest areas. In addition to forest floor sod, the researchers also brought forest shrubs, bushes and mosses. The children in the centers were then encouraged to play in the upgraded areas during their time outdoors. The children were all tested prior to installation of the natural material and then again 28 days afterward, for immune system markers.

The researchers acknowledge that their test group was small—just 75 children were participants—but suggest their striking results warranted publication of their findings. In addition to a large (a third higher than a control group) increase in skin biome, the researchers found positive changes to proteins and cells (regulatory T cells and anti-inflammatory cytokines) that have been found to be present in people with a more robust immune system. They suggest more work needs to be done to prove the benefits of such a change in the childhood environment and then to push for changes to be made.

Major US hospital-based study shows waterbirths as safe as traditional births

Allina Health, October 14, 2020

A new U.S. study of waterbirths found that hospital-based births involving water immersion had no higher risk of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or special care nursery admission than comparable deliveries in the control group without water immersion. The primary purpose of the study is to address the lack of methodologically sound research regarding maternal and neonatal outcomes for waterbirths. The study has been published in the journal, Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the professional organization that sets standards for obstetric practice, previously concluded that water immersion during the first stage of labor (when a woman is in labor but is not fully dilated) is safe for women with full-term, uncomplicated pregnancies. In fact, water immersion during labor provides benefits of pain relief, reduced analgesic need, shorter labor, and increased patient satisfaction. However, ACOG also identified an absence of well-designed studies to aid in the determination of the risks and benefits of water immersion during the second stage of labor (when a woman is fully dilated and can actively push during contractions).

“This study demonstrates that the system we put in place provides waterbirth in the context of a strong clinical program that ensures safety,” said Dr. Lisa Saul, a perinatologist, president of Allina Health’s Mother Baby service line and study coauthor. “As a health system, we want to offer women as many choices as possible to help them manage pain during labor. Our primary focus is always on the safety of mothers and newborns so we need to ensure we are basing our practices on the best evidence available”

In order to address the lack of quality research on waterbirth outcomes during the second stage, Allina Health led a multi-site study. The study includes data from 583 births over 4-years (2014-2018) from eight hospitals in the Allina Health and HealthPartners systems and a matched comparison group of 583 births to women who met the criteria for waterbirth but did not have water immersion during labor. As waterbirth has become more popular in the United States, it is important for practitioners to be able to inform their practices and guidelines in the context of US clinical standards. Prior to this study, there were only a few studies examining waterbirth outcomes in the US, and those mostly focused on deliveries outside of a hospital setting (such as home births or birth centers).

Prior studies on waterbirths, conducted primarily in Europe, had varied clinical protocols that were often not described making it hard to understand how outcomes might be affected by clinical protocols. Additionally, prior studies often lacked strong study designs and thus were subject to potential sources of bias. The current study brings new methodological strengths not found in many prior studies, such as a large sample size and matching techniques used to ensure comparability between the women delivering in water and the comparison group. In alignment with ACOG recommendations, Allina and HealthPartners, established rigorous protocols for candidate selection, tub maintenance and cleaning, monitoring of women and fetuses, and moving women from tubs if maternal or fetal concerns or complications develop. The sites also developed rigorous training program to credential providers for water immersion deliveries, and a quality assurance process.

“Women and families deserve safe and evidence based care regardless of their birth preferences,” said Kathrine Simon, study coauthor, a certified nurse midwife and Midwifery Lead for Allina Health who conducts provider training for water immersion deliveries. “This study demonstrates that waterbirth is a safe option for women during labor in addition to supporting provider and nursing training and support.”

The study found that the proportion of deliveries with NICU or special care nursery admission was significantly lower for women with second-stage immersion (2.9%) than the control group (8.3%). There was no difference in NICU or special care nursery admissions for deliveries with first-stage immersion only. Of the secondary neonatal outcomes examined (i.e., respiratory distress, anemia, sepsis, asphyxia, or death), there were no significant differences between the water immersion groups and matched deliveries in the control group.

A possible benefit identified in the study for women was reduced likelihood of lacerations during delivery. Women in the second stage water immersion group were half as likely as women in the comparison group to experience any perineal lacerations. This measure did not differ for women who had first-stage only immersion cases.

“Women are often grateful for the opportunity for labor and birth in the water. Many are surprised by the lack of pelvic pressure and a sense of the baby gliding out,” said Simon. “This study confirms that waterbirths, conducted in alignment with a strong clinical protocol, are at least as safe as traditional birthing methods.”

Physical activity in the morning could be most beneficial against cancer

Barcelona Institute for Global Health (Spain), October 14, 2020

One potential cause of cancer is circadian disruption, the misalignment of environmental cues (light, food intake, etc.) and our endogenous circadian rhythms. It is established that regular physical activity throughout lifetime can reduce cancer risk. This protective effect could be the most beneficial when physical activity is done in the morning -this is the main result of a recent study coordinated by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the “la Caixa Foundation”, together with the Department of Epidemiology at the Medical University of Vienna.

Most studies on circadian disruption and cancer risk focused on night shift work. Recent studies suggest that exposure to light at night and late food intake may play a role in the etiology of cancer. However, to date it remains unknown if the timing of physical activity could influence cancer risk through circadian disruption.

To address this question, the researchers examined the effect of timing of recreational physical activity on breast and prostate cancer risk in a population based case control study. They hypothesized that the beneficial effect of the longest done physical activity in reducing cancer risk could be stronger when done in the morning. They based their hypothesis on the results of an experimental study which showed that physical activity in the afternoon and in the evening can delay melatonin production, a hormone produced mainly during the night and with well-known oncostatic properties.

The analysis included 2,795 participants of the multicase-control (MCC-Spain) study in Spain. The researchers found that the beneficial effect of the physical activity (longest done throughout lifetime) to reduce breast and prostate cancer risk was stronger when the activity was regularly done in the morning (8-10 am). In men, the effect was similarly strong also for evening activity (7-11 pm). Results were unchanged when considering the most strenuous physical activity timing. Effects differed across chronotypes, the preference for sleeping and being active at a certain time of day. Early morning activity (8-10 am) seemed especially protective for late chronotypes, people who generally prefer to be active towards the evening.

In their paper, which was published in the International Journal of Cancer, the epidemiologists discuss how physical activity may influence human circadian rhythms and suggest possible biological mechanisms (e.g. alteration of melatonin and sex hormone production, nutrient metabolism etc.).

Overall the findings of this study indicate that “time of the day of physical activity is an important aspect that may potentiate the protective effect of physical activity on cancer risk”, commented Manolis Kogevinas, Scientific Director of the Severo Ochoa Distinction at ISGlobal and coordinator of the study. “These results, if confirmed, may improve current physical activity recommendations for cancer prevention. Clear is that everyone can reduce his/her cancer risk simply by being moderately physically active for at least 150 minutes each week”, he added.

Study shows whole-fruit vitamin C boosts feelings of vitality

University of Otago (New Zealand), October 13, 2020

A University of Otago study has shown adults low in dietary vitamin C can improve their feelings of vitality by eating two kiwifruit a day for two weeks.

The study highlights the advantages of ingesting vitamin C through whole fruits such as kiwifruit. Observed effects were more marked than in a matched population taking vitamin C predominantly through a supplement tablet.

Researchers from Otago’s Department of Psychology (Dunedin) and the Center for Free Radical Research in Christchurch ran a placebo-controlled intervention to test whether increasing vitamin C through whole fruit or tablets can improve feelings of vitality or zest for life.

They recruited 167 participants between 18 to 35 years-old who had low baseline levels of vitamin C and randomly divided them into three groups; a kiwifruit group, an equivalent vitamin C tablet group (250 mg), or a placebo-tablet group. Each day for four weeks, participants were asked to eat two Sungold kiwifruit (a fruit known to be exceptionally high in vitamin C) or consume their tablet. Blood vitamin C levels and questionnaire measures of mood, fatigue, and well-being were measured fortnightly throughout the study.

Results showed vitamin C levels in both the kiwifruit group and vitamin C tablet group increased to normal within two weeks. There was no placebo effect. A key finding however was the extra benefits to vitality reported by the group taking kiwifruit.

“Whole fruit had a broader range of benefits; lessening fatigue and improving mood and well-being across a wider number of people than we saw in the supplement group. The vitamin C tablet did decrease fatigue and improve well-being to some extent for individuals with consistently low vitamin C levels leading up to the intervention. Interestingly, the benefits from consuming kiwifruit emerged in just 2 weeks,” lead author Associate Professor Tamlin Conner says.

Vitamin C has many functions in the body and brain, and increases the production of numerous hormones and neurotransmitters. These include adrenalin, serotonin, and oxytocin that control stress levels, regulate mood, and promote feelings of well-being. Co-investigator Professor Margreet Vissers says while links between vitamin C and physical functioning are well-documented, this study establishes a role for vitamin C in mental functioning. The study also suggests that whole fruit intake promotes added benefits to mental function.

Dr. Conner says by raising vitamin C levels through whole foods like kiwifruit, people can get other active ingredients that will benefit more systems in the body and brain.

“For example, kiwifruit has numerous additional vitamins and minerals that support health and are also high in dietary fiber, which is beneficial to the gut. There are important links between the gut and the regulation of mood. This could account for why kiwifruit benefited mood more than vitamin C tablets.”

The study, “KiwiC for Vitality: Results of a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial Testing the Effects of Kiwifruit or Vitamin C Tablets on Vitality in Adults with Low Vitamin C Levels,” has been published in the open access journal Nutrients.

Pomegranate peel extract lessens histopathologic changes and restores antioxidant homeostasis in Alzheimer disease

King Abdulaziz University (Saudi Arabia), October 9, 2020

According to news originating from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, research stated, “To investigate the neuroprotective efficacy of pomegranate and ellagic acid on the histopathological changes in the hippocampus of an aluminium chloride (AlCl3) induced rat model of Alzheimer’s disease. Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups (n=10 each): Group I : serving as negative control; Group II, Alzheimer model, induced by administration of 17 mg/kg bw AlCl3; Group III, administered the same dose of AlCl3 with 50 mg/kg of pomegranate peel extract and Group IV : administered ellagic acid (50 mg/kg) in addition to the same dose of AlCl3.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from King Abdulaziz University, “The medication given to all groups continued for 28 days. All were given the compounds by gastric gavage. Radial arm maze test, hippocampus antioxidant markers, histopathology of the dentate gyrus, and CA3 of the hippocampus were evaluated. Rats treated with pomegranate peel extract exposed to radial arm maze test showed less number of errors and reduced time needed to reach the criterion. There was an increase in the levels of glutathione, catalase, and total antioxidant capacity and decreased lipid peroxidation products. Histopathological features in dentate gyrus and CA3 as apoptosis and chromatolysis of pyramidal cells and granular layer, respectively, were decreased. Alzheimer characteristic neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques were reduced. Treatment with ellagic acid ameliorated the pathological results but to a statistically lower level.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Pomegranate peel extract alleviates memory deficit and restores antioxidant homeostasis following degenerative changes in the hippocampus induced by aluminium chloride in rats.”

Studies find even minimal physical activity measurably boosts health

Two new studies find that simply standing up or walking around can provide positive health benefits; and Americans sit too much

University of California at San Diego, October 13, 2020

More than 5 million people around the world die from causes associated with a lack of physical activity. Two research teams at UC San Diego School of Medicine sought to understand sedentary lifestyles, with one study finding that even light physical activity, including just standing, can benefit health, and the other that Americans are still sitting too much.

Stand up, your life may depend on it

It is well-documented that exercise and other moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) reduces the risk of many age-related chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, numerous cancers, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. However, in the study published October 12, 2020 in Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, researchers found that just standing still was associated with lower risk for mortality.

Led by Andrea LaCroix, PhD, chief of epidemiology at UC San Diego School of Medicine, the research team observed activity levels of nearly 6,000 American women, ages 63 to 97, in partnership with the Women’s Health Initiative. Participants wore a research-grade accelerometer for seven days to get accurate measures of how much time they spent sitting, standing still or moving.

Participants who spent the most time standing had a 37 percent lower risk of death when compared to the group who didn’t stand up as often. While the highest group was standing still almost 90 minutes per day, a lower risk of death was observed by standing still for as little as 30 minutes per day. The positive effects of standing were even stronger when participants were standing and moving around at the same time.

“Avoiding prolonged sedentary time and engaging in regular physical activity are key strategies for older Americans to improve their prospects for healthy aging,” said first author Purva Jain, a doctoral candidate and research fellow. “Specifically low-intensity physical activities, such as standing, are important to study due to their feasibility and safety. During our research, we found that simply spending more time on your feet could have important health benefits, such as a decreased risk of mortality.”

Adults in the United States aged 65 and older struggle to meet physical activity guidelines, which generally call for 150 minutes of activity per week. According to the researchers, many Americans spend up to 11 hours a day sitting. Women are specifically at an increased risk of having or developing health concerns associated with inactivity.

“Standing is a feasible approach to interrupt long periods of time sitting that takes place throughout the day,” said John Bellettiere, PhD, professor of epidemiology at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “We find this most beneficial for older adults who may not be able to partake in moderate-to-vigorous activities any more, but can still follow a healthy aging lifestyle safely just by replacing sitting with standing up more.”

“This is the first study of its kind where we were able to decipher between the benefits of standing still versus standing and moving around,” said senior author Andrea LaCroix, PhD, “In doing so, we were able to provide rigorous evidence that even standing still results in positive health benefits.”

Modern technology and a sedentary life

In another study, published October 12, 2020 in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, researchers with UC San Diego School of Medicine used physical activity data collected as part of a survey of farmers in rural Malawi, whose lives are minimally affected by technology, and compared it to lifestyles of Americans.

With this comparison, the team sought to investigate the potential impact of technology-dominated lifestyles on sedentary time and physical activity.

Their findings showed substantially higher levels of activity amongst the Malawi population versus participants in the United States. Specifically, Americans spend nearly two more hours of sedentary time each day compared to Malawians.

“Being able to compare our current activity levels in the United States to the lifestyle of famers in Malawi really puts an exclamation point on how inactive we are,” said first author Michael Pratt, MD, director of the Institute for Public Health at UC San Diego. “We evolved to be active beings and we have left that behind for the luxury of certain modern advancements.”

The study was conducted in Malawi, a country in Southeast Africa, where farmers in the Zomba and Ntcheu districts were recruited. Nearly all of the sampled farmers lacked electricity at home and did not own motorized vehicles. Conversely, computers, cell phones, TVs and cars dominate the daily lives of many Americans, resulting in increased sedentary time and less need for physical activity.

To quantify the difference in activity levels in these two samples with contrasting lifestyles, researchers asked 414 farmers in Malawi, ages 15 to 85, to wear an accelerometer every day for seven days. The data were then compared to a sample of 3,258 Americans in the same age range measured in previous studies for the same amount of time. Levels of MVPA and light activity in adults in Malawi were substantially higher and sedentary time were lower than those observed in the United States’ sample. Researchers used near-identical data collection, scoring and analyses to make their conclusions.

The Malawian farmers met current physical activity guidelines 94 percent of the time, compared to only 55 percent of the United States sample. However, the results may have a different meaning in Malawi where hard work in predominantly subsistence and non-mechanized agriculture on family farms is essential for household food security.

“This study hints at the profound impact of technologically oriented lifestyles that are becoming ever-more dominant throughout the world,” said James Sallis, PhD, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Family Medicine and Public Health at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “As humans, we are designed to be active, and now we know how much our health depends on it. For people in most high-income countries, we need to put a higher priority on efforts to help them get out of their chairs and move around more throughout the day. For highly-active people in low-income countries, food security is a higher priority.”

Ten or more medications, often prescribed to older heart failure patients, raises concerns

Weill Cornell Medical Center, October 13, 2020

More than half of older patients hospitalized for heart failure, a progressive condition in which the heart doesn’t pump blood as well as it should, are discharged from the hospital with prescriptions for 10 or more medications, according to new research published today in Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association journal.

“High medication burden, also known as polypharmacy, is commonly associated with adverse events and reactions,” said Parag Goyal, M.D., M.Sc., senior study author and assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and a geriatric cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. “As the treatment options for various conditions including heart failure expand and the population ages, it is becoming increasingly important to weigh the risks and possible benefits of multiple medications.”

To explore the medication burden of older adults with heart failure, researchers examined the medical charts of 558 adults, aged 65 and older, covered by Medicare and hospitalized for heart failure between 2003 and 2014 at one of 380 hospitals in the U.S. All were participants in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, a large nationwide prospective observational cohort of over 30,000 participants that began in 2003 and continues with ongoing follow-up.

For this analysis, the number of medications for each patient was tallied at hospital admission and discharge. Medicines were categorized by the primary condition they treat: heart failure; other types of heart disease (such as aspirin and statin drugs for coronary heart disease); or non-heart-related (such as medications for lung, kidney disease or Type 2 diabetes).

Researchers found:

Upon admission to the hospital, 84% of the study participants took five or more medications, and 42% took 10 or more.

Participants were discharged from the hospital with prescriptions for more medications than when they were admitted: 95% were prescribed five or more medications; and 55% were prescribed 10 or more at hospital discharge.

Polypharmacy has become increasingly common, with 10 or more medications prescribed at discharge for 41% of participants hospitalized between 2003-2006, and 68% for those hospitalized between 2011 and 2014.

Most of the medications taken by participants with heart failure were not to treat heart failure or a heart condition.

“The medication burden for older adults with heart failure was higher following a heart failure hospitalization. Some of these drugs may be appropriate. However, our prior work has shown that many patients are discharged with prescriptions for medications that can worsen heart failure. This supports the ongoing need for improved and routine medication review processes prior to hospital discharge, and particularly in the immediate post-discharge period where the risk of hospital readmission is particularly high,” said Goyal, who also directs the Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction Program at Weill Cornell Medicine and at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

According to researchers, this study was conducted prior to the approvals of several new heart failure medications, so the number of people with heart failure prescribed 10 or more medications may be even higher today.

“Advances in medicine have provided patients with an increasing number of treatment options. This is a good thing. However, it is important to also consider the negative consequences of more medications prescribed for each patient,” Goyal said.

While all adults with heart failure can experience adverse effects from their medication, the researchers suggest that people with heart failure taking 10 or more medications may be especially vulnerable to negative interactions due to possible medication use.

“Our findings support the need to tailor decisions related to medication prescribing for each patient while considering their overall health status,” Goyal said “The key to managing polypharmacy is medication review during each appointment. With regular review, the hope is that the right medications – where the possible benefit outweighs the risks – will be started or continued, and if the risks outweigh possible benefits, those medications are discontinued.”

Researchers noted because their study focused on older adults with Medicare coverage, these findings may not be generalizable to younger adults, or anyone not enrolled/eligible for Medicare or without health insurance.

Higher doses of vitamin D slowed progression of frailty in older mice, preclinical study shows

University of Buffalo, October 13, 2020

When it comes to vitamin D, most adults exhibit either frank deficiency, which results in clear clinical symptoms, or insufficiency, which often goes undetected. But how that insufficiency impacts physical health and the vulnerability of older adults to frailty as they age has been difficult to determine.

Now a University at Buffalo study of 24-28–month-old mice, the equivalent of 65-to-80-year-old adults, has found that frailty can be slowed with what might be considered “over” supplementation with vitamin D, referred to as “hypersufficiency.”

Published Sept. 30 in Nutrients, the research builds on previous work that Kenneth L. Seldeen, Ph.D., first author and research assistant professor in the Department of Medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, has been conducting for more than a decade with colleague Bruce R. Troen, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and director of the Center for Successful Aging, both in the Jacobs School.

Seldeen explained that a 2018 paper they published (described here) found that young mice with long-term insufficient levels of vitamin D resulted in impaired physical performance. However, the new work reveals that even when mice had sufficient vitamin D levels throughout life and then switched to insufficient levels of vitamin D in old age, the physical impairments appeared much sooner.

“We found that in aged mice, low levels of vitamin D result in physical declines, such as reduced grip strength and grip endurance—the ability to sustain a grip—and that they started developing as soon as one month after reduction of vitamin D intake,” said Seldeen.

Balance and coordination declined

“We also found that low vitamin D levels were associated with a decline in both balance and coordination,” he continued. “Human studies have shown that low vitamin D levels are associated with a greater risk of falls, particularly in frail older adults. Our data support this notion.”

A key finding of the study was that over the four months of treatment, vitamin D status played an important role in the onset of frailty. The investigators measured frailty in mice based on strategies similar to those used for humans, where frailty is defined as having three or more of the following: unexpected weight loss, weak grip strength, poor endurance, low activity levels and slow gait speed.

The researchers found that frailty progressed in two groups of the mice whose daily vitamin D consumption was either 125 International Units (IU) per kilogram of chow, resulting in an insufficient level, or 1,000 IU per kilogram of chow, which establishes serum levels of vitamin D considered sufficient for a human.

“Only when mice were given the highest amount of vitamin D, at 8,000 IU per kilogram of chow, did frailty not progress over the timeframe of the study,” said Seldeen.

These findings are particularly relevant to the ongoing discussions about how much vitamin D aging adults need to stay healthy.

Findings may support higher doses of vitamin D

“There is disagreement about what level of vitamin D is considered sufficient for adults,” said Seldeen.

He explained that the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has identified 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) of vitamin D in the blood as the level necessary for adults to be vitamin D sufficient, based largely on what is needed to maintain bone health. The NAM Food and Nutrition Board has recommended that adults ages 19-70 consume 600 IU of vitamin D per day and that individuals over 70 consume 800 IU of vitamin D per day.

A growing body of literature suggests that vitamin D is important for other aspects of health, and a number of researchers in the field consider 30 ng/ml as the necessary minimum level, explained Troen.

“We recommend that older adults take a minimum of 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day,” he said. “This is particularly important for our frail geriatric patients. But based upon our research, we believe that a lifetime of ample vitamin D supplementation will optimize long-term functional capacity and health.”

“The findings of our study suggest that a level of even 30 ng/ml is not enough, and that in fact 60 ng/ml was needed in order to prevent frailty progression in these older mice,” Seldeen said. That’s the amount that the NAM considers the safe upper limit for vitamin D in the blood, a level that could roughly be achieved with a maximum daily dose of 4,000 IU/day, considered safe by the NAM.

“To slow the progression of frailty, it actually took greater amounts of vitamin D than what is currently considered sufficient for a human,” said Seldeen.

While this finding is especially intriguing, Seldeen noted that, of course, a single study won’t settle the question. “Unfortunately, higher than standard amounts of supplementation are rarely investigated,” he said. “However, this study raises the possibility of including higher dose groups into future human trials involving vitamin D.”

Seldeen, Troen and their collaborators plan to pursue future human studies on vitamin D. They are also beginning a new mouse study that will examine the impacts of vitamin D status on the underlying muscle biology during aging to better understand why vitamin D affects physical performance and frailty.

“Studying the direct impacts of serum vitamin D levels in humans is fairly difficult, as the impacts might take years to manifest and it may not be safe to test the impacts of having persistently low or high vitamin D levels,” Seldeen says. “Using an animal model, we are able to examine these potentially riskier levels of vitamin D and the biological impacts during aging. Also, doing so in genetically identical mice all living the same lifestyle, compared to the complexity of human diversity, allows greater focus on the specific effects caused by the different vitamin D levels.”

Yoga and meditation reduce chronic pain

Participants in an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction course reported significant improvement in levels of pain, depression and disability

Community Health Clinics of Benton County, October 1, 2020

A mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course was found to benefit patients with chronic pain and depression, leading to significant improvement in participant perceptions of pain, mood and functional capacity, according to a study in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. Most of the study respondents (89%) reported the program helped them find ways to better cope with their pain while 11% remained neutral.

Chronic pain is a common and serious medical condition affecting an estimated 100 million people in the United States, which correlates with annual costs of approximately $635 billion. The small-scale study was conducted in a semi-rural population in Oregon where issues of affordability, addiction and access to care are common. Participants received intensive instruction in mindfulness meditation and mindful hatha yoga during an eight-week period.

“Many people have lost hope because, in most cases, chronic pain will never fully resolve,” says Cynthia Marske, DO, an osteopathic physician and director of graduate medical education at the Community Health Clinics of Benton and Linn County. “However, mindful yoga and meditation can help improve the structure and function of the body, which supports the process of healing.”

Healing and curing are inherently different, explains Dr. Marske.

“Curing means eliminating disease, while healing refers to becoming more whole,” Dr. Marske says. “With chronic pain, healing involves learning to live with a level of pain this is manageable. For this, yoga and meditation can be very beneficial.”

The study found mindful meditation and yoga led to significant improvements in patients’ perceptions of pain, depression and disability. Following the course, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scores, a standard measure of depression, dropped by 3.7 points on a 27-point scale. According to Dr. Marske, some patients experience a similar drop from the use of an antidepressant.

“Chronic pain often goes hand-in-hand with depression,” says Dr. Marske. “Mindfulness-based meditation and yoga can help restore both a patient’s mental and physical health and can be effective alone or in combination with other treatments such as therapy and medication.”

Study participants received instruction in MBSR, a systematic educational program based on training people to have an awareness of the self in the present moment and a nonjudgmental manner. The findings bolster other evidence that MBSR can be a useful adjunctive treatment for chronic pain while improving perceived depression.

“The bottom line is that patients are seeking new ways to cope with chronic pain and effective non-pharmaceutical treatments are available,” says Dr. Marske. “Our findings show meditation and yoga can be a viable option for people seeking relief from chronic pain.”

Maltreatment tied to higher inflammation in girls

Research shows abuse at early age affects girls more than boys

University of Georgia, October 14, 2020

New research by a University of Georgia scientist reveals that girls who are maltreated show higher levels of inflammation at an early age than boys who are maltreated or children who have not experienced abuse. This finding may forecast chronic mental and physical health problems in midlife.

Led by psychologist Katherine Ehrlich, the study is the first to examine the link between abuse and low-grade inflammation during childhood.

Inflammation plays a role in many chronic diseases of aging–diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, obesity–as well as mental health outcomes, and the findings suggest that maltreatment’s association with inflammation does not lie dormant before emerging in adulthood. Instead, the study shows that traumatic experiences have a much more immediate impact.

“We and others have speculated that there’s something about the immune system that’s getting calibrated, particularly during childhood, that might be setting people up on long-term trajectories toward accelerated health problems,” said Ehrlich, assistant professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “What I’m struck by is just how early in development we can see these effects. What our study highlights is that, even as early as childhood, we can see that a substantial portion of the children have levels of inflammation that the American Heart Association considers ‘moderate risk’ for heart disease. This is concerning from a public health perspective and suggests that these children may be at risk for significant health problems at an earlier age than their nonmaltreated peers.”

Participants in the study included 155 children aged 8-12 from low-income backgrounds who attended a weeklong day camp. The sample was racially diverse and included maltreated and nonmaltreated children.

Researchers captured detailed information on children’s exposure to abuse by utilizing Department of Human Services records about maltreatment experiences in families. The children-documented experiences included neglect (55%), emotional maltreatment (67%), physical abuse (35%) and sexual abuse (8%). Many children experienced more than one type of abuse, and 35% of children experienced abuse across multiple developmental periods.

The team measured five biomarkers of low-grade inflammation using non-fasting blood samples from the children.

Results revealed that childhood maltreatment–for girls–was associated with higher levels of low-grade inflammation in late childhood. Girls who had been abused over multiple periods or had multiple kinds of exposures had the highest levels of inflammation. Girls’ greatest risk for elevated inflammation emerged when they were abused early in life, before the age of 5.

For boys in the study, exposure to maltreatment was not reflected in higher levels of inflammation, but Ehrlich cautioned against drawing conclusions without additional research targeted to boys.

“One question is, are these variations due to developmental timing differences?” she said. “We know that girls mature faster than boys in terms of their biological and physical development. If we tested these same boys two years later, would we find the same patterns of inflammation that we found for the girls?”

Binge drinking may cause Alzheimer’s disease—and it might strike younger and in a severe form

Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, October 13, 2020

Binge drinking may be linked to both the onset and severity of Alzheimer’s disease, but scientists have only now embarked on a path to decipher each molecular step involved in how excessive alcohol consumption leads to the most common form of dementia.

The research, underway at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in New York, builds on a deceptively simple premise: Excessive alcohol consumption is toxic to the brain. Binge drinking likely plays an insidious role in the alteration of a normal brain protein into a biological rogue that is highly prevalent in Alzheimer’s disease. The protein is identified by a simplistic monosyllabic name—tau.

In its normal conformation, tau is found in neurons modulating the stability of axonal microtubules. But in its abnormal conformation, tau has long been considered one of the leading hallmarks of Alzheimer’s, and makes up the tangles in the notorious “plaques and tangles” pathology. The plaques are deposits of the protein beta amyloid. The Feinstein Institutes research involving binge drinking and Alzheimer’s dementia is riveted, however, on tau.

A potential breakthrough in the investigation would be a definitive explanation of how tau transforms from a normal protein into a neuron-annihilating cause of Alzheimer’s under the influence of excessive alcohol. The New York researchers think they’re on the right path to make that discovery.

Already, the scientists are delving into how tau can become phosphorylated, which means its structural conformation changes and its role in the brain becomes chemically altered under the influence of binge drinking.

“Studies have shown that frequent and heavy alcohol drinking is linked to earlier onset and increased severity of Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Max Brenner, assistant professor at the Feinstein Institutes told Medical Xpress. “It has been reported that alcohol consumption correlates with Alzheimer’s-like cortical atrophy in individuals at high risk of developing the disease as well as younger age of onset.

“In addition, chronic alcohol exposure caused neural tau phosphorylation in the hippocampus and memory-impairment in Alzheimer’s-predisposed mice,” Brenner said.

The goal of the research is to shed light on specific proteins that apparently play key roles in the proliferation of tau. Brenner and colleagues want to understand the activities of cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP) and its associated form, extracellular cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (eCIRP).

“CIRP is normally present in the cell nucleus where it helps to regulate which proteins each cell produces,” Brenner explained. “When cells detect potentially harmful conditions, such as alcohol exposure, they release molecules like eCIRP to alert other cells nearby to start preparing their defenses to overcome the stress conditions. The cells being alerted recognize eCIRP outside the cell when it binds to specific protein receptors in the cell membrane. The cascade of eCIRP proteins is triggered when alcohol diffuses throughout the brain, and while alcohol is a major influence, the eCIRP cascade can occur under other deleterious conditions. “A number of potentially harmful conditions trigger the release of eCIRP, including low oxygen, low temperature and radiation exposure,” Brenner said.

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, and is the most common form of neurodegenerative dementia. It afflicts 5.8 million people nationwide. Globally, the disease is inexorably on the rise. An estimated 50 million people are believed to be living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. According to the United Nations, the number of affected people could reach 152 million worldwide by 2050 unless therapeutics are discovered to stop the escalating number of cases. Brenner and colleagues theorize that blocking eCIRP might prove to be a viable treatment for alcohol-related Alzheimer’s disease.

Binge drinking, meanwhile, is a major societal and public health concern. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found an array of collateral problems associated with the habit: car crashes, falls, burns, and alcohol poisoning. The agency also has traced domestic violence, homicide and intimate partner violence, sexual assault, sexually transmitted diseases and suicides to binge drinking. It is estimated that roughly half of all alcohol-related deaths in the U.S. are directly related to binge drinking.

Brenner and colleagues say these drinkers can have a blood alcohol concentration ranging anywhere from 0.08% to amounts that are substantially higher.

Despite the tantalizing clues of their preliminary research, the Feinstein team is uncertain about precise sequence of mechanisms involved in how excessive alcohol consumption leads to Alzheimer’s. However, they’re keenly aware that eCIRP is a critical mediator of memory impairment induced by exposure to binge-drinking levels of alcohol.

The National Institutes of Health has found the research by Brenner and his team so intriguing that it has awarded the Long Island-based Feinstein Institutes a $419,000 grant to further investigate the role of alcohol in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Brenner said there are also early suggestions that beta amyloid, the cause of Alzheimer’s plaques, may also be linked to binge drinking.

“Early-stage studies suggest that alcohol aggravates beta amyloid deposition by increasing the levels of amyloid precursor protein (APP), which increases the enzyme that changes the precursor into beta amyloid and decreases the cellular disposal of beta amyloid. We have decided to focus our research on the effects of alcohol on tau, however, because tau deposition correlates better with the cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease than beta amyloid,” Brenner said.

Metformin or alpha-lipoic acid support healthy inflammatory response in microglial cells

Konyang University (South Korea), October 8, 2020

According to news originating from Daejeon, South Korea, the research stated, “Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disease that can be described by the occurrence of dementia due to a decline in cognitive function. The disease is characterized by the formation of extracellular and intracellular amyloid plaques.”

The news editors obtained a quote from the research from Konyang University: “Amyloid beta (Ab) is a hallmark of AD, and microglia can be activated in the presence of Ab. Activated microglia secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, S100A9 is an important innate immunity pro-inflam-matory contributor in inflammation and a potential contributor to AD. This study examined the effects of metformin and a-LA on the inflammatory response and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in Ab- and S100A9-induced BV-2 microglial cells. Metformin and a-LA attenuated inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). In addition, metformin and a-LA inhibited the phosphorylation of JNK, ERK, and p38. They activated the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) pathway and the NOD-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Moreover, metformin and a-LA reduced the marker levels of the M1 phenotype, ICAM1, whereas the M2 phenotype, ARG1, was increased. These findings suggest that metformin and a-LA are therapeutic agents against the Ab- and S100A9-induced neuroinflammatory responses.”

Trial outcome suggests vitamin D supplementation may improve autism spectrum disorder symptoms

Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (Iran), October 5, 2020

According to news reporting originating in Kermanshah, Iran, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have lower serum vitamin D and higher serotonin and interleukin (IL)-6 levels compared with healthy children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of vitamin D on core symptoms and serum levels of serotonin and IL-6 in these children.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, “This parallel randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted with 43 children with ASD (7 girls and 36 boys; 8.91 ? 2.87 y of age). Children were randomly allocated to receive either vitamin D drop (300 IU/kg up to a maximum of 6000 IU daily) or placebo for 15 wk. Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin (OH)D, IL-6, and serotonin were measured at baseline and at the end of the trial. Also, the severity of autism and the social and individual maturity of the children were measured by the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), the Autism Treatment Assessment Checklist (ATEC), and Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community (ABC-C) questionnaires before and after intervention. Randomization and allocation to groups were done using computer-generated numbers. More than 86% of patients had vitamin D deficiency at the beginning of the study. Serum levels of 25(OH)D increased significantly in the vitamin D group (p=0.001). The clinical symptoms of autism measured by CARS and ATEC scales were alleviated significantly (p=0.021 and p=0.020, respectively); however, the serum levels of serotonin and IL-6 and the scale of ABC-C remained without a significant change.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “These findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation may improve ASD symptoms; however, more studies with longer duration are indispensable to confirm our results.”

Amino acids, creatine, HMB supplementation associated with greater muscle gains

University of Melbourne, October 12 2020.

A systematic review and meta-analysis published on October 8, 2020 in Nutrition Reviews concluded that supplementing with amino acids, creatine, beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB, a metabolite of the amino acid leucine) and protein with added amino acids was associated with improvement in muscle mass.

In their introduction, Aitana Martin-Cantero and colleagues at the University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital in Victoria, Australia, in collaboration with Andrea B. Maier of Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam noted that the progressive loss of muscle mass, strength and physical performance defined as sarcopenia is prevalent in up to half of men and women older than 80 years of age. A major contributor to sarcopenia is poor intake of protein and calories, which results in impaired muscle protein synthesis. “The variation in the rates of muscle mass decline among adults is dependent on modifiable lifestyle factors such as nutrition and physical activity,” the authors noted. “Thus, interventions targeting these factors are thought to play an important role in the prevention and management of sarcopenia.”

For their analysis, the team selected 29 randomized trials that included a total of 2,255 men and women aged 65 years and older who received a nutritional intervention or a placebo. Muscle mass was assessed via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis. Nutritional interventions consisted of essential or nonessential amino acids, different forms of creatine, HMB, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and protein supplementation with or without amino acids or other supplements.

Overall, nutritional interventions benefitted muscle mass. Pooled summary effects indicated that amino acids, creatine, HMB, and protein plus amino acids had significant positive effects on muscle mass measures. “The findings highlight the potential role of nutrition as a strategy for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia in older age,” the authors concluded.

Damaged muscles don’t just die, they regenerate themselves

Kumamoto University and Nagasaki University (Japan), October 12, 2020

While building a muscle damage model in a cultured system, a research collaboration between Kumamoto University and Nagasaki University in Japan has found that components leaking from broken muscle fibers activate “satellite” muscle stem cells. While attempting to identify the proteins that activate satellite cells, they found that metabolic enzymes, such as GAPDH, rapidly activated dormant satellite cells and accelerated muscle injury regeneration. This is a highly rational and efficient regeneration mechanism in which the damaged muscle itself activates the satellite cells that begin the regeneration process.

Skeletal muscle is made up of bundles of contracting muscle fibers and each muscle fiber is surrounded by satellite cells–muscle stem cells that can produce new muscle fibers. Thanks to the work of these satellite cells, muscle fibers can be regenerated even after being bruised or torn during intense exercise. Satellite cells also play essential roles in muscle growth during developmental stages and muscle hypertrophy during strength training. However, in refractory muscle diseases like muscular dystrophy and age-related muscular fragility (sarcopenia), the number and function of satellite cells decreases. It is therefore important to understand the regulatory mechanism of satellite cells in muscle regeneration therapy.

In mature skeletal muscle, satellite cells are usually present in a dormant state. Upon stimulation after muscle injury, satellite cells are rapidly activated and proliferate repeatedly. During the subsequent myogenesis, they differentiate and regenerate muscle fibers by fusing with existing muscle fibers or with together. Of these three steps (satellite cell activation, proliferation, and muscle differentiation), little is known about how the first step, activation, is induced.

Since satellite cells are activated when muscle fibers are damaged, researchers hypothesized that muscle damage itself could trigger activation. However, this is difficult to prove in animal models of muscle injury so they constructed a cell culture model in which single muscle fibers, isolated from mouse muscle tissue, were physically damaged and destroyed. Using this injury model, they found that components leaking from the injured muscle fibers activated satellite cells, and the activated cells entered the G1 preparatory phase of cell division. Further, the activated cells returned to a dormant state when the damaged components were removed, thereby suggesting that the damaged components act as the activation switch.

The research team named the leaking components “Damaged myofiber-derived factors” (DMDFs), after the broken muscle fibers, and identified them using mass spectrometry. Most of the identified proteins were metabolic enzymes, including glycolytic enzymes such as GAPDH, and muscle deviation enzymes that are used as biomarkers for muscle disorders and diseases. GAPDH is known as a “moonlighting protein” that has other roles in addition to its original function in glycolysis, such as cell death control and immune response mediation. The researchers therefore analyzed the effects of DMDFs, including GAPDH, on satellite cell activation and confirmed that exposure resulted in their entry into the G1 phase. Furthermore, the researchers injected GAPDH into mouse skeletal muscle and observed accelerated satellite cell proliferation after subsequent drug-induced muscle damage. These results suggest that DMDFs have the ability to activate dormant satellite cells and induce rapid muscle regeneration after injury. The mechanism by which broken muscle activates satellite cells is a highly effective and efficient tissue regeneration mechanism.

“In this study, we proposed a new muscle injury-regeneration model. However, the detailed molecular mechanism of how DMDFs activate satellite cells remains an unclear issue for future research. In addition to satellite cell activation, DMDF moonlighting functions are expected to be diverse,” said Associate Professor Yusuke Ono, leader of the study. “Recent studies have shown that skeletal muscle secretes various factors that affect other organs and tissues, such as the brain and fat, into the bloodstream, so it may be possible that DMDFs are involved in the linkage between injured muscle and other organs via blood circulation. We believe that further elucidation of the functions of DMDFs could clarify the pathologies of some muscle diseases and help in the development of new drugs.”

Musical training can improve attention and working memory in children – study

Cognitive benefits could last a lifetime

Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, October 13, 2020

Neuroscientists have found new evidence that learning to play an instrument may be good for the brain. Musically trained children perform better at attention and memory recall and have greater activation in brain regions related to attention control and auditory encoding, executive functions known to be associated with improved reading, higher resilience, greater creativity, and a better quality of life. These results are published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.

A team led by Dr Leonie Kausel, a violinist and neuroscientist at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and the Universidad del Desarrollo Chile, tested the attention and working memory of 40 Chilean children between 10-13 years of age. Twenty played an instrument, had had at least two years of lessons, practiced at least 2 h a week and regularly played in an orchestra or ensemble. Twenty control children, recruited from public schools in Santiago, had had no musical training other than in the school curriculum. Their attention and working memory was assessed through the previously developed and validated “bimodal (auditory/visual) attention and working memory (WM) task”. During this task, Kausel et al. monitored brain activity of the children with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), detecting small changes in blood flow within the brain.

There was no difference between the two groups in reaction time. However, musically trained children did significantly better on the memory task.

“Our most important finding is that two different mechanisms seem to underlie the better performance of musically trained children in the attention and WM memory task,” says Kausel. “One that supports more domain-general attention mechanisms and another that supports more domain-specific auditory encoding mechanisms.”

Here, “domain” refers to how sensorial modalities — types of senses such as heat, sound, or light — are encoded by the brain, while domain-specific vs. -general means that only one vs. more than one sensorial modality is processed, and “mechanism” refers to the neurochemical processes that occur. Both mechanisms seem to have improved function in musically trained children. For the domain-specific mechanism, brain regions that are more active include the inferior frontal gyrus and the supramarginal gyrus – in the front and center-front of the brain, both part of the so-called “phonological loop”, a working memory system involved in auditory processing, establishing auditory-motor connections, and tonal and verbal auditory working memory. For the domain-general mechanism, a more active brain region is probably the fronto-parietal control network, a large-scale network composed of various brain regions that deals with executive function, goal-oriented, and cognitively-demanding tasks.

Kausel et al. suspect music training increases the functional activity of these brain networks.

“The next step of the project is to establish the causality of the mechanisms we found for improving attention and working memory,” says Kausel. “We also aim to make a longitudinal study on musical training with children, evaluating attention and working memory, and the possibility to evaluate a musical training intervention on ADHD children.”

Does this mean you should sign your kids up for music classes?

“Of course, I would recommend that,” Kausel agrees. “However, I think parents should not only enrol their children because they expect that this will help them boost their cognitive functions, but because it is also an activity that, even when very demanding, will provide them with joy and the possibility to learn a universal language.”

How the study was done

Kausel et al. adapted the bimodal attention and WM memory task from Johnson & Zatorre (2006). Neuroimage 31:1673-81. They asked participants to focus on either one, both, or neither stimuli of a pair: a visual abstract figure and a short melody, presented simultaneously for a duration of 4 s (“encoding phase”). Two seconds later, they asked them to recall both by means of a yes/no recognition task (“memory retrieval phase”). They also measured accuracy of responses and reaction time.

fMRI is a non-invasive technique that measures brain activity in real time: increased blood flow to a region implies increased activity. To determine activity associated with paying attention, Kausel et al. subtracted fMRI data acquired from “passive” trials (i.e. when children passively observe the bimodal stimuli, without a memory recall task) from those acquired during “active” trials (i.e. when children paid attention to auditory and/or visual stimuli). From this, they could identify brain regions associated with paying attention and memory encoding, activated during the encoding phases.

Cannabis May Mitigate Pain From Sickle Cell Disease

University of California at Irvine and San Francisco, October 9, 2020

A study published in the July 2020 journal JAMA Network Open shows promising results for cannabis as an alternative to opioid pain relievers for patients with sickle cell disease. The double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was co-led by researchers Kalpna Gupta and Dr. Donald Abrams of University of California, Irvine (UCI) and UC San Francisco (UCSF), respectively.

The pioneering study represents an early effort to test whether the pain management properties of cannabis previously observed in animal studies cross over effectively in human trials.[i]

Sickle Cell Disease: A Cause of Chronic Pain

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic condition inherited at birth that causes normally round red blood cells to take on the crescent moon shape of a sickle, a defect that leads to rapid cell die-off and a shortage of healthy red blood cells in the body.[ii]

The most common clinical manifestations of SCD are vaso-occlusive crises, periods when microcirculation is obstructed resulting in chronic pain.[iii] The only known cure for SCD is a bone marrow or stem cell transplant,[iv] making pain management a top priority in SCD treatment protocols.

Opioid pain medications, the current primary treatment for SCD pain, have serious downsides including constipation, pruritus (itching), respiratory depression and risk of addiction and death from overdose.[v] Dr. Gupta and his research team set out to determine whether cannabis may be an effective alternative to opioids by testing inhaled cannabis compared to inhaled placebo for relief of chronic pain in adults with SCD.

Study methods in the pilot randomized clinical trial involved enrolling 27 participants from a pool of 90 individuals with a diagnosis of sickle cell disease with chronic pain. Participants were admitted into a designated inpatient clinical research center for two, five-day stays over a period of 32 months between 2014 and 2017.

Participants inhaled either vaporized cannabis or vaporized placebo three times daily for each of the five-day study periods. Of these initial 27 participants, 23 completed both treatment arms of the study and were included in the final analysis.

The final pool of study participants was comprised of 13 women and 10 men with a median age of 38 years. Cannabis used in the study had a 1:1 ratio of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol to cannabidiol, two of the isolated active constituents of medical-grade cannabis. Daily pain indices were assessed and recorded using a visual analog scale and a standardized pain measurement index.

Cannabis Is Safe and Effective at Treating Chronic Pain

Findings in this study were somewhat mixed. Vaporized cannabis did not statistically significantly reduce pain and associated symptoms as compared to placebo. However, several factors did rate as significant potential benefits to the use of cannabis for treatment of chronic pain.

Primarily, inhaled cannabis was more effective than inhaled placebo in altering mood, a factor that is significant for patients dealing with chronic pain. Secondarily, inhaled cannabis was found to be safe and well-tolerated, a marked improvement over the high risks, including death by overdose, associated with opioid use.

Researchers concluded that cannabis should be investigated further in larger and longer clinical trials, as an adjunct or alternative to opioids in adults with sickle cell disease with chronic pain. According to Dr. Gupta:

“We don’t know if all forms of cannabis products will have a similar effect on chronic pain. Vaporized cannabis, which we employed, may be safer than other forms because lower amounts reach the body’s circulation. This trial opens the door for testing different forms of medical cannabis to treat chronic pain.”

Trees Prevent Disease

University of Vermont, October 11, 2020

Americans have an obsession with chopping down trees. Whether it’s over pruning their yards or the corporate paving of paradise to put up a parking lot, trees go down. Trees collapse during natural disasters like hurricanes and fires. In other countries, though, the presence of trees can be the difference of life or death.

A University of Vermont-led study of 300,000 children in 35 nations says kids whose watersheds have greater tree cover are less likely to experience diarrheal disease, the second leading cause of death for children under the age of five.

Published in Nature Communications, the study is the first to quantify the connection between watershed quality and individual health outcomes of children at the global scale. The study was funded by the WWF, Rockefeller Foundation and other big-player NGOs who probably want to enforce Agenda 21. However, trees truly do clean watersheds, and the unchecked clearing of forestry is bound to cause issues. Clean water is the biggest necessity for third world countries to date.

“Looking at all of these diverse households in all these different countries, we find the healthier your watershed upstream, the less likely your kids are to get this potentially fatal disease,” says Taylor Ricketts of UVM’s Gund Institute for Environment.

Surprisingly, the team predicts that a 30 per cent increase in upstream tree cover in rural watersheds would have a comparable effect to improved water sanitation, such as the addition of indoor plumbing or toilets.

“This suggests that protecting watersheds, in the right circumstances, can double as a public health investment,” says Brendan Fisher of UVM’s Gund Institute and Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. “This shows, very clearly, how ‘natural infrastructure’ can directly support human health and welfare.”

The research is the first to use a massive new database that will enable “big data” approaches to study links between human health and the environment, globally. The database features 30 years of USAID demographic and health surveys, with 150 variables for 500,000 households, including spatial data on the environment.

“We are not saying trees are more important than toilets and indoor plumbing,” says Diego Herrera, who led the paper as a UVM postdoctoral researcher, and is now at Environmental Defense Fund. “But these findings clearly show that forests and other natural systems can complement traditional water sanitation systems, and help compensate for a lack of infrastructure.”

The researchers hope the findings help governments and development agencies to improve the health and environment of children around the world. They add that more research is needed to more fully understand exactly how watershed forests impact the risk of diseases like diarrhea, which has many causes, including waterborne pathogens.

The research covers 35 nations across Africa, Southeast Asia, South America and the Caribbean, including Bangladesh, Philippines, Nigeria, Colombia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO):

1 in 4 deaths of children under 5 years of age are attributable to unhealthy environments.
361,000 children die of diarrheal disease every year because of poor access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.

“This new science indicates that investment in healthy forests and rivers can provide significant benefits for human health. WWF is now working with the University of Vermont research team to understand the implications of this evidence for the management of rivers and forests around the world. These are limited and precious natural resources. Our failure to look after them could have real consequences for human health.”

Bacopa monnieri extract protects against glutamate toxicity and increases the longevity

Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), October 10, 2020

According to news reporting originating from Bangkok, Thailand, research stated, “Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, cause a great deal of suffering for both patients and carers. (L.) Is known for its memory-enhancing properties, and is of great interest in treating neurodegenerative disease. This study aimed to evaluate against glutamate toxicity, and identify whether reduces mitochondrial and ER stress, as well as to measure on the life span and aging of We hypothesized that would prevent cellular oxidative stress, prevent mitochondrial/ER stress, and increase the life span while reducing signs of aging in Glutamate toxicity was measured using viable cell staining assays and the MTT assay.”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from Chulalongkorn University, “ROS and mitochondrial stress were assessed by HDCFDA and Rodamine123 staining, with fluorescence/confocal microscopy. median and maximum life span were measured, in response to treatment, along with lipofuscin imaging to measure the health of the population. hexane extract (but not ethanol extract) prevented the toxicity of 5 mM glutamate in HT-22 cells. We found that the mechanism involves the reduction of ROS production and the prevention of mitochondrial and ER stress. Furthermore, we showed that could increase the median and maximal lifespan of wild type maintain a younger appearing phenotype in the aged In conclusion, prevents mitochondrial, and oxidative stress in the cultured cells.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Furthermore, it can prolong the healthy lifespan of , indicating that the potential for therapeutic and preventative use in neurodegenerative disease.”

Antiviral activity discovered in aloe vera

Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, October 10, 2020

In a recent study, researchers at the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine explored another use for aloe vera — something that isn’t as widely discussed but is just as significant as its beneficial effects on the skin. The researchers screened aloe vera for the active compounds responsible for its antiviral activities, particularly against influenza A. Influenza A is a virus that attacks the respiratory system and is one of the most common causes of the flu. Influenza A infections can be serious and can cause widespread outbreaks.

The researchers discussed the antiviral activities of aloe vera in an article published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine.

Aloe vera has antiviral properties

Previous studies have found that the ethanolic extract of aloe vera (AVE) has significant anti-influenza activity, but the mechanisms underlying this activity and the constituents responsible for it are still unknown. (Related: 9 Health benefits of drinking aloe vera juice.)

In an earlier study, the researchers found that AVE treatment significantly reduced the replication of green fluorescent protein-labeled influenza A virus in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. They also noted that post-treatment with AVE inhibited the expression of viral matrix protein 1 (M1), matrix protein 2 (M2) and hemagglutinin (HA).

The influenza virus M1 is known to mediate viral budding, a process that enables the virus to exit its host cell. Influenza virus M2, on the other hand, facilitates the migration of genetic material from the virus itself into its target cell. HA is the main antigenic protein on the surface of the virus and plays a pivotal role in the pathogen’s attachment to and penetration into a host cell.

In the present study, the researchers found that AVE can inhibit autophagy induced by influenza A in MDCK cells. Autophagy is a natural process employed by the body to clean out damaged or unnecessary cell components. This process helps control viral infections by causing the destruction of viruses. However, studies have also found that viruses can manipulate autophagy and use it to evade the immune system, replicate and exit infected cells.

Chemical analysis of AVE revealed that quercetin, catechin hydrate and kaempferol are aloe vera’s active antiviral components. Post-treatment with the three compounds markedly inhibited M2 viral mRNA synthesis and M2 protein expression. Docking simulation also suggested that the binding affinity of quercetin, catechin hydrate and kaempferol for the M2 protein may be higher than that of known M2 protein inhibitors.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that aloe vera is an effective antiviral agent against H1N1 (swine flu) and H3N2 — the subtype of influenza A responsible for the 1968 flu pandemic — because it contains active compounds that can inhibit influenza virus-induced autophagy.

Consumption of a bioactive compound from Neem plant could significantly suppress development of prostate cancer

National University of Singapore, September 29, 2020

Oral administration of nimbolide, over 12 weeks shows reduction of prostate tumor size by up to 70 per cent and decrease in tumor metastasis by up to 50 per cent

A team of international researchers led by Associate Professor Gautam Sethi from the Department of Pharmacology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has found that nimbolide, a bioactive terpenoid compound derived from Azadirachta indica or more commonly known as the neem plant, could reduce the size of prostate tumor by up to 70 per cent and suppress its spread or metastasis by half.

Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide. However, currently available therapies for metastatic prostate cancer are only marginally effective. Hence, there is a need for more novel treatment alternatives and options.

“Although the diverse anti-cancer effects of nimbolide have been reported in different cancer types, its potential effects on prostate cancer initiation and progression have not been demonstrated in scientific studies. In this research, we have demonstrated that nimbolide can inhibit tumor cell viability — a cellular process that directly affects the ability of a cell to proliferate, grow, divide, or repair damaged cell components — and induce programmed cell death in prostate cancer cells,” said Assoc Prof Sethi.

Cell invasion and migration are key steps during tumor metastasis. The NUS-led study revealed that nimbolide can significantly suppress cell invasion and migration of prostate cancer cells, suggesting its ability to reduce tumor metastasis.

The researchers observed that upon the 12 weeks of administering nimbolide, the size of prostate cancer tumor was reduced by as much as 70 per cent and its metastasis decreased by about 50 per cent, without exhibiting any significant adverse effects.

“This is possible because a direct target of nimbolide in prostate cancer is glutathione reductase, an enzyme which is responsible for maintaining the antioxidant system that regulates the STAT3 gene in the body. The activation of the STAT3 gene has been reported to contribute to prostate tumor growth and metastasis,” explained Assoc Prof Sethi. “We have found that nimbolide can substantially inhibit STAT3 activation and thereby abrogating the growth and metastasis of prostate tumor,” he added.

The findings of the study were published in the April 2016 issue of the scientific journal Antioxidants & Redox Signaling. This work was carried out in collaboration with Professor Goh Boon Cher of Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at NUS, Professor Hui Kam Man of National Cancer Centre Singapore and Professor Ahn Kwang Seok of Kyung Hee University.

Neem — The medicinal plant

The neem plant belongs to the mahogany tree family that is originally native to India and the Indian sub-continent. It has been part of traditional Asian medicine for centuries and is typically used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine. Today, neem leaves and bark have been incorporated into many personal care products such as soaps, toothpaste, skincare and even dietary supplements.

Future Research

The team is looking to embark on a genome-wide screening or to perform a large-scale study of proteins to analyse the side-effects and determine other potential molecular targets of nimbolide. They are also keen to investigate the efficacy of combinatory regimen of nimbolide and approved drugs such as docetaxel and enzalutamide for future prostate cancer therapy.

Mediterranean dietary pattern predicts better sleep quality in US women

Columbia University, October 2, 2020

According to news originating from Columbia University Irving Medical Center the research stated, “Consumption of a Mediterranean diet has been linked to better sleep health in older, European populations.”

The news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Columbia University Irving Medical Center: “However, whether this dietary pattern is predictive of sleep quality in US women, a group prone to poor sleep, is unknown. This prospective cohort study of 432 US women (20-76 y; 60% racial/ethnic minority) evaluated whether compliance with a Mediterranean diet at baseline predicted sleep quality at 1-y follow-up. Alternate Mediterranean (aMed) diet scores and habitual sleep quality were computed from the validated Block Brief Food Frequency Questionnaire and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), respectively. Linear regression models evaluated prospective associations of the aMed diet pattern and its components with measures of sleep quality, after adjustment for age, BMI, race/ethnicity, education, and health insurance status. Higher baseline aMed scores were associated with lower PSQI scores (b = -0.30 ± 0.10, * * p* * < 0.01), indicative of better sleep quality, higher sleep efficiency (b = 1.20 ± 0.35, * * p* * < 0.001), and fewer sleep disturbances (b = -0.30 ± 0.12, * * p* * = 0.01) at 1-y. Fruit and vegetable consumption also predicted lower PSQI scores, higher sleep efficiency and fewer sleep disturbances (all * * p* * < 0.05).”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Higher legume intake predicted better sleep efficiency (b = 1.36 ± 0.55, * * p* * = 0.01). These findings suggest that adherence to a Mediterranean diet pattern should be evaluated as a strategy to promote sleep quality in US women.”

Bayberry Leaf Offers Hope Against Growing Antibiotic Resistance

Emory University and University of Notre Dame, October 9, 2020

Scientists at Emory University, in conjunction with the University of Notre Dame, presented an exciting research manuscript that was published by The American Chemical Society’s Infectious Diseases journal in June 2020. The peer-reviewed report is another scientifically validated example of the plant kingdom’s intelligence when it comes to healing the body.

The research delivered hopeful findings detailing how a common shrubbery, the American beautyberry or bayberry, has potent properties that make it a powerful ally in the fight against antibiotic resistance. In their laboratory tests, researchers observed that compounds extracted from bayberry leaf worked to boost the efficacy of antibiotics against resistant strains of bacteria, specifically methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as MRSA.[i]

When isolated extracts of the plant’s leaf were employed in conjunction with oxacillin, one of the world’s most prescribed antibiotics, the herbal extract acted as an antibiotic potentiator. Antibiotic potentiators, also known as adjuvants, are active compounds that, on their own, have little to no antibiotic activity, but when used in combination with antibiotic medication enhance the antimicrobial power of these drugs.[ii]

The two compounds worked in synergy to lower MRSA’s resistance to the antibiotic drug treatment, a hopeful sign for doctors struggling to treat this stubborn infection.

Native Plant Medicine a Key to Modern Health Benefits

While this latent superpower may not have been previously documented, bayberry leaf has a demonstrated history as a plant medicine, prompting researchers to explore why certain cultures have revered and relied upon the beautyberry bush for centuries.

Native American tribes in the Southern U.S. have used the roots, leaves and bark of the beautyberry for centuries, treating a wide range of health concerns like malaria, rheumatism, dizziness, stomachaches and dysentery, among other ailments.[iii]

In an announcement on the findings provided by Emory Health Sciences, co-senior study author, Cassandra Quave, states, “We decided to investigate the chemical properties of the American beautyberry because it was an important medicinal plant for Native Americans.”[iv]

Dr. Quave’s unique background includes expertise in medical ethnobotany, the study of medicinal plants used by native peoples, a field of study she draws upon to unlock modern medical breakthroughs. An assistant professor in human health at Emory University, Quave is also a member of the Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center, work that informs her quest for ways to reduce the global crisis of increasing resistance to antibiotic drugs.

This study presented Dr. Quave and her team with a chance to expand on prior findings that bayberry leaf extract inhibited growth of the bacteria that causes acne.[v] The researchers wanted to test this proven antimicrobial action for efficacy against MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus strain.

The team first sought to isolate the active antimicrobial agent within the complex botanical. “Even a single plant tissue can contain hundreds of unique molecules,” Quave says. “It’s a painstaking process to chemically separate them out, then test and retest until you find one that’s effective.”[vi] Eventually, they identified a compound belonging to a group of chemicals known as clerodane diterpenoids, used by plants to deter predation, that slightly inhibited the growth of MRSA.

In order to boost the efficacy of this action, they deployed the isolate in combination with oxacillin, a beta-lactam antibiotic used to treat staph infections.[vii] MRSA is characterized by resistance to methicillin, another antibiotic in the beta-lactam category used in the fight against staph.

“Beta-lactam antibiotics are some of the safest and least toxic that are currently available in the antibiotic arsenal, but unfortunately, MRSA has developed resistance to them,”[viii]Quave says. Bayberry leaf’s ability to lower this resistance may mean more effective antibiotic treatments for sufferers of this serious, potentially life-threatening infection.

Resistance to Antibiotics: A Threat to World Health

The rise of antibiotic resistance is a looming medical apocalypse that the World Health Organization admits is one of the biggest public health challenges of our time.[ix]According to CDC statistics, at least 2.8 million people get an antibiotic-resistant infection, and more than 35,000 people die from these infections, each year.[x]

In “The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance,” a report commissioned by the UK Prime Minister, economist Jim O’Neill speculated that by 2050, 10 million people will die every year from resistant bacterial infections.[xi]

One potential solution lies in the use of antibiotic adjuvants such as bayberry leaf extract and other resistance-modifying agents.[xii] To that end, the next step for this pioneering team is to test the combination of bayberry leaf extract and oxacillin in animal studies.

Ongoing analysis of the specific chemical compounds in the plant may further enhance its safe and effective use as an antibiotic potentiator in conjunction with proven antibiotic therapies. “We need to keep filling the drug-discovery pipeline with innovative solutions, including potential combination therapies, to address the ongoing and growing problem of antibiotic resistance,” says Quave

Study shows vitamin E needed for proper nervous system development

Oregon State University, October 6, 2020

In research with key ramifications for women of childbearing age, findings by Oregon State University scientists show that embryos produced by vitamin E-deficient zebrafish have malformed brains and nervous systems.

“This is totally amazing – the brain is absolutely physically distorted by not having enough vitamin E,” said Maret Traber, a professor in the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences.

The study led by Traber, the Ava Helen Pauling Professor at Oregon State’s Linus Pauling Institute, was published in Scientific Reports.

Zebrafish are a small freshwater species that go from a fertilized egg to a swimming fish in about five days. They are highly prized for studying the development and genetics of vertebrates.

Zebrafish share a remarkable similarity to humans at the molecular, genetic and cellular levels, meaning many findings are immediately relevant to humans. Embryonic zebrafish are of special interest because they develop quickly, are transparent and are easy to care for.

Vitamin E was discovered in 1922, identified because it was essential for fertilized rat eggs to culminate in live births.

“Why does an embryo need vitamin E? We’ve been chasing that for a long time,” said Traber, a leading authority on vitamin E who has been researching the micronutrient for three decades. “With this newest study we actually started taking pictures so we could visualize: Where is the brain? Where is the brain forming? How does vitamin E fit into this picture?”

In an embryo, a brain primordium and the neural tube appear early and will form the nervous system and “innervate” – supply with nerves – all organs and body structures. Without vitamin E, the zebrafish embryos showed neural tube defects and brain defects.

“They were kind of like folic acid-deficient neural tube defects, and now we have pictures to show the neural tube defects and brain defects and that vitamin E is right on the closing edges of the cells that are forming the brain,” Traber said.

In healthy organisms, neural crest cells drive the creation of facial bones and cartilage and innervate the body, building the peripheral nervous system.

“Acting as stem cells, the crest cells are important for the brain and spinal cord and also go on to be the cells of about 10 different organ systems including the heart and liver,” Traber said. “By having those cells get into trouble with vitamin E deficiency, basically the entire embryo formation is dysregulated. It is no wonder we see embryo death with vitamin E deficiency.”

Traber likens it to the children’s game KerPlunk, in which kids take turns pulling out the straws that support several dozen marbles in a vertical tube. When the wrong straw is pulled out, everything collapses; vitamin E is the straw whose extraction brings down the house on embryo development, especially with the brain and nervous system.

“Now we’re at the point where we’re so close being able to say exactly what’s wrong when there isn’t enough vitamin E but at the same time we’re very far away because we haven’t found what are the genes that are changing,” she said. “What we know is the vitamin E-deficient embryos lived to 24 hours and then started dying off. At six hours there was no difference, by 12 hours you see the differences but they weren’t killing the animals, and at 24 hours there were dramatic changes that were about to cause the tipping point of total catastrophe.”

Vitamin E, known scientifically as alpha-tocopherol, has many biologic roles and in human diets is most often provided by oils, such as olive oil. It is found in high levels in foods such as hazelnuts, sunflower seeds and avocados.

Vitamin E is a group of eight compounds – four tocopherols and four tocotrienols – distinguished by their chemical structure. Alpha-tocopherol is what vitamin E commonly refers to and is found in supplements and in foods associated with a European diet; gamma-tocopherol is the type of vitamin E most commonly found in a typical American diet.

“Plants make eight different forms of vitamin E, and you absorb them all, but the liver only puts alpha-tocopherol back into the bloodstream,” said Traber. “All of the other forms are metabolized and excreted. I’ve been concerned about women and pregnancy because of reports that women with low vitamin E in their plasma have increased risk of miscarriage.”

Joining Traber on the study were Brian Head of the Linus Pauling Institute, Jane La Du and Robyn Tanguay of the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences and Chrissa Kioussi of the OSU College of Pharmacy.

The Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Lab supported the research with technical assistance, and the Ava Helen Pauling Endowment and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health contributed toward the study’s funding.

Brain Benefits of Yoga Comparable to Aerobic Exercise

University of Illinois and Wayne State University, October 9, 2020

A research article published in the journal Brain Plasticity has revealed that regular yoga practice may impart the same functional benefits to your brain as aerobic fexercise.[i]

The review detailed research led by University of Illinois professor Neha Gothe, in conjunction with Wayne State University professor Jessica Damoiseaux, that summarized the findings of 11 prior studies examining the effects of yoga practice on the structures, function and cerebral blood flow of the brain.

As the health benefits of exercise continue to be validated by science, the virtues of yoga, specifically for the brain, have begun to draw interest from neuroscientists. With periods of focused concentration on the breath and incorporation of meditative practice, yoga is known as a science that engages the mind in ways that other physical fitness activities do not.

Gothe and Damoiseaux sought to understand the effects yoga has on the brain, specifically through assessments done with brain scans performed with MRI, fMRI and SPECT devices.

Is Yoga as Beneficial as Aerobic Exercise?

There is considerable debate as to whether yoga should be classified as an aerobic or anaerobic form of exercise. Anaerobic, meaning without air, pertains to exercise conducted in short, intense bursts, such as weight lifting and stretching. Yoga is generally not considered an aerobic activity, but this can vary depending on the style and intensity of an individual’s practice.

Previous studies on yoga have produced results indicating that yoga may impart similar benefits to the body as aerobic exercise.[ii],[iii] Gothe’s team set out to understand if benefits may also be comparable regarding yoga’s structural and functional effects on the brain.

In this scientific review, the research team reviewed 11 studies examining the effects of yoga practice on brain structures, regional functioning and cerebral blood flow. The styles of yoga practiced in the studies were Hatha yoga, Kundalini yoga and combined methodologies; what was consistent across the array were that all forms of yoga integrated physical postures, breath control exercises and meditation.

Of the studies reviewed, five involved individuals who were new to yoga and engaged in one or more yoga sessions per week for a period of 10 to 24 weeks. Functional MRIs were done on the brain prior to beginning yoga practice and at the end of the study period, with comparisons of the “before yoga” brain and the “after yoga” brain.

Six studies engaged participants with a regular yoga practice, defined as three or more years of practicing yoga for at least 45 minutes per session, three to four times per week. Their brain health was compared against individuals who were “yoga naïve,” having no yoga or meditation experience, to detect cross-sectional differences between the groups.

None of these cross-sectional studies offered a standardized definition or specific criterion to define a yoga practitioner. Per the review, “[A] yoga practitioner was defined as an individual who had consistently practiced yoga for at least 3 years on a weekly basis.”[iv]

Each of these studies used brain-imaging techniques such as MRI, functional MRI or single-photon emission computerized tomography, and all were conducted on older adult populations, with five of the studies having a mean age of greater than 65 years for the subjects.

Yoga: A Brain-Healthy Alternative to Intense Aerobic Exercise

After analysis was complete, researchers determined that, collectively, the studies demonstrated a positive effect of yoga practice on the structure and/or function of the hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex and brain networks, including the default mode network (DMN).[v]

Specific study findings include greater cortical thickness among female adults over the age of 60 with eight or more years of yoga experience compared to a non-practitioner control group.[vi] Additional findings showed that the volume of the left hippocampus was significantly greater among yoga practitioners compared to age- and sex-matched controls with similar “non-yoga” physical activity and fitness levels.[vii]

The brain changes observed in what was collectively called “the yoga group” are associated with better cognitive tests scores and improved emotional regulation. While these types of neurological functions are generally associated with age-related decline, this study suggests that yoga may reverse this effect in older female subjects.[viii]

According to Gothe, behavioral mind-body interventions such as yoga may be linked to these beneficial anatomical changes in the brain. In a brief released by the News Bureau at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Gothe stated:

“Many studies looking at the brain effects of aerobic exercise have shown a similar increase in hippocampus size over time. Yoga is not aerobic in nature, so there must be other mechanisms leading to these brain changes.”[ix]

While Gothe admitted that, so far, we have not identified what those mechanisms are, she believes that the key to yoga’s positive effects on the brain lies in enhanced emotional regulation.[x] “The practice of yoga helps improve emotional regulation to reduce stress, anxiety and depression and that seems to improve brain functioning.”[xi]

This research offers promising early evidence that behavioral interventions like yoga may hold promise to help mitigate age-related and neurodegenerative decline. Gothe and Damoiseaux have called for further research involving larger, longer studies with more direct measurement of changes in the brain and on cognitive performance, as well as standardized approaches that allow for better comparison against other forms of exercise.

Probiotics Provide Anti-Cancer Effect

Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute, October 12, 2020

Differences in the bacterial make up of breast tissue in those with breast cancer point to the existence of a “microbiome” within the breast as well as the prospect of probiotic use in the battle against this disease.

There are over 400 species of bacteria in your belly right now that can be the key to health or disease.

Health care of the future may include personalized diagnosis of an individual’s “microbiome” to determine what probiotics are needed to provide balance and prevent disease.

Findings from the US study reveal healthy breast tissue contains more of the bacterial species Methylobacteriumâ‹, a species known to produce phytohormones that exert an anti-cancer effect.

“To my knowledge, this is the first study to examine both breast tissue and distant sites of the body for bacterial differences in breast cancer,” said Dr Charis Eng co-senior author and chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute

“Our hope is to find a biomarker that would help us diagnose breast cancer quickly and easily. In our wildest dreams, we hope we can use microbiomics right before breast cancer forms and then prevent cancer with probiotics.”

While it may be some way off, the prospect of probiotic use in breast cancer is making some interesting headway.

Lactobacillus acidophilus‹, a probiotic found in yogurt and kimchi, has shown anti-cancer properties as its ingestion has found its way to the mammary glandâ

The species are found in abundance in healthy breast tissues compared to cancerous tissues. Its presence in fermented milk products may also exert protective antioxidant effects‹
Study details

Published online in the journal Oncotarget, the study examined the tissues of 57 patients who underwent mastectomy for breast cancer or cosmetic breast surgery.

The team from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio also looked at patients’ oral rinse and urine to assess bacterial composition of these sites.

In addition to the Methylobacterium finding, cancer patients’ urine samples were found to have increased levels of gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus and Actinomyces

“If we can target specific pro-cancer bacteria, we may be able to make the environment less hospitable to cancer and enhance existing treatments,” said co-senior author Dr Stephen Grobymer, section head of surgical oncology at Cleveland Clinic.

“Larger studies are needed but this work is a solid first step in better understanding the significant role of bacterial imbalances in breast cancer.”

Probiotics and the Breast

For women undergoing breast surgery, the role of probiotics may provide some much-needed benefit in postsurgical infections.

According to an article ‹published last month, their use “would be of great interest and importance to examine the precise mechanisms and correlate the reported alterations of the microbiome with the infectious complications in the surgical and/or critically ill patient.”

Additionally, the microbiome’s role in breastfeeding is well established, with the interplay between gut and breast microbiota crucial breastfeeding and infant development.

A breastfeeding mother’s gut microbiome has a crucial role in her offspring’s immune development.

In addition, distinct sites in and around the breast such as breast skin tissue, swabs, and cheek swabs are known to have unique microbiome signatures.

These microbes reside within breast tissue irrespective of a history of infection or lactation.

Meta-analysis associates green coffee bean extract supplementation with lower C-reactive protein levels

Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences (China), October 2, 2020

According to news reporting originating in Wuxi, People’s Republic of China, “The effects of green coffee bean extract (GCBE) supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers have been widely spread. The purpose of this article was to assess the impact of GCBE supplementation on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the Department of Endocrinology, “The literature search was performed in four databases (Scopus, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar) to identify studies that examined the influence of GCBE supplementation on CRP levels up to August 2019. Mean and standard deviation (SD) of the outcomes were used to estimate the weight mean difference (WMD) between intervention and control groups for the follow-up period. Five (5) studies, with 6 arms, reported CRP as an outcome. Statistically, the use of GCBE supplements resulted in a significant change in CRP levels (WMD: -0.017 mg/dL, 95 % CI: -0.032, -0.003, p=0.018), whose overall findings were obtained from random-effects model. In addition, a significantly greater reduction in CRP was noted for studies with doses of GCBE supplements 1000 mg/d (WMD: -0.015 mg/dL, 95 % CI: -0.020, -0.010, p<0.000), length of intervention <4 weeks (WMD: -0.015 mg/dL, 95 % CI: -0.020, -0.010, p<0.001), and for non-healthy subjects (WMD: -0.019 mg/dL, 95 % CI: -0.027, -0.011, p<0.001). Dyslipidemia, hypertension and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease were the ailments of the studies that encompassed non-healthy patients. This meta-analysis shows that the use of GCBE supplements resulted in a statistical decrease in CRP levels, mainly for non-healthy subjects.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “However, due to the limited number of studies, further randomized clinical trials are crucial in this regard.”

Research suggests that a form of glucosamine could help MS patients

University of California at Irvine, October 09 2020.

Research findings reported on September 25, 2020 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry suggest a role for N-acetylglucosamine, a form of glucosamine, which is found in the joints and other tissues, against nerve demyelination that characterizes multiple sclerosis (MS).

Demyelination occurs in several neurologic diseases. Myelin insulates the axons that extend from nerve cells and increases electrical signal conduction speed between neurons.

A team led by Michael Demetriou, MD, PhD, FRCP(C), who is professor of neurology, microbiology and molecular genetics at the University of California School of Medicine, found that N-acetylglucosamine prevented neuro-axonal damage in adult mice with demyelination induced by a toxin. Giving oral N-acetylglucosamine to lactating mice increased myelination in their newborn animals via its presence in breast milk.

“Interestingly, since N-acetylglucosamine is a major component of human breast milk but not baby formula, it may explain some of the cognitive function and myelination benefits realized by children fed breast milk as opposed to formula,” noted first author Michael Sy, MD, PhD, who is an assistant professor of neurology at UCI School of Medicine and codirector of the regional MS program at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System.

In humans with MS, lower serum N-acetylglucosamine levels were associated with increased measures of demyelination and microstructural damage. “The association of reduced N-acetylglucosamine serum levels with white matter changes in the brain of patients with multiple sclerosis suggests that N-acetylglucosamine deficiency may contribute to disease severity,” commented coauthor Alexander U. Brandt, MD, who co-led the clinical portions of the study.

“We found that N-acetylglucosamine activates myelin stem cells to promote primary myelination and myelin repair,” Dr Demetriou stated. “Our data raises the intriguing possibility that N-acetylglucosamine may be a simple therapy to promote myelin repair in multiple sclerosis patients.”

Perforated bone tissue from too little sugar

Norwegian University of Science and Technology, October 7, 2020

Could something as simple as a certain type of sugar water be medicine for perforated bones, and even bone marrow cancer itself?

Inside our bodies are some jellyfish-like cells that actually eat away at our bones. Every year, they eat about ten per cent of the bone mass in our body. Fortunately, other cells usually follow and build up new bone.

We undergo a kind of continuous remodelling and repair that enables most of us to traipse around with steel in our legs and arms.

In people with bone marrow cancer, the bone-eating cells run amok. They become too numerous and eat too much. The bone-building gang doesn’t have time to rebuild the bone mass, despite overtime and long shifts. Bone tissue gets gobbled up.

Many people with bone marrow cancer often end up with perforated bones, a condition that is very painful to live with. They sometimes experience collapsed vertebrae or suffer broken bones just by turning in bed.

For decades, scientists around the world have been scratching their heads and wondering what the cause could be. Various theories have been launched, but researchers have not reached a consensus on the main cause.

Bone marrow cancer remains an incurable disease so far. Available treatments can prolong life, but not cure the disease.

Now Standal and her research group at the Centre of Molecular Inflammation Research (CEMIR) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have discovered a piece of the puzzle that looks very promising.

They have come to the conclusion that the cause of the bone destruction is too little sugar. We’re not talking about the sugar we eat in our cakes and biscuits, but sugar that resides in a substance that is important for the immune system.

To get to the bottom of how sugar is related to bone loss, we need to get into the bone marrow. This is the soft cavity that inside all our bones.

Within the bones are plasma cells. When bacteria or viruses enter the body, the plasma cells begin their job of getting rid of the invaders. Antibodies are produced which are sent via the blood, ready to do battle.

So far so good, but in people with bone marrow cancer, far too much of one type of antibody is produced. It’s going amok here, too. The antibody that the cancer makes is also completely useless. It doesn’t knock out either the cold or the flu but just takes up too much space and displaces other types of antibodies.

“I thought simply. If people with bone marrow cancer have too much of the antibody and too many bone-eating cells, then they must be connected,” Standal says.

The search for an answer gobbled a lot of her working hours for almost five years. The hard work was fortunately not in vain, and has led to a completely new and fundamental understanding.

The finding has now been published in Blood, the highest ranked blood disease journal in in the world.

This is how Standal arrived at the answer:

The vast majority of patients with bone marrow cancer develop perforated bones, but not all. Standal asked nicely, and received samples from patients with bone loss. She also took samples from patients without this kind of bone loss.

The researchers extracted antibodies from the samples and cultured bone-eating cells in the laboratory.

When Standal placed the bone-eating cells into the antibody of the patients with bone perforations, she discovered that the number of bone-eating cells increased.

When she put the bone-eating cells into the antibody of the patients without bone perforations, she discovered that the number of bone-eating cells did not increase.

“Why that was the case became the next interesting thing to figure out,” Standal says.

The antibody carries a type of sugar that “decorates” it, in a way. The sugar has an effect on how the antibody works. Standal found her way to Manfred Wuhrer at the Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics of the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands. He is a specialist in this type of sugar, and Standal sent the samples to him.

He found that individuals with bone loss were missing two sugar molecules at the end of a long chain inside the antibody.

“There was too little sugar,” says Standal.

But this answer wasn’t sufficient, either.

Although a difference was detected between the two groups, the researchers could not confirm that the missing sugar molecules were the reason patients developed more bone-eating cells. Several further experiments had to be conducted.

The research team went to the lab and put more sugar on the antibody. This did not lead to more bone-eating cells. Standal also did the opposite, removing sugar from the antibody. This did lead to more bone-eating cells.

The researchers then had sufficient test results to show that too little sugar can be decisive for the number of bone-eating cells. But this is not enough in medical research – at least not if the goal is to use the knowledge to make medicine for humans.

The next step involved animal experiments with mice that have bone marrow cancer. The mice were divided into two groups and were given two different types of sugar water. In theory, one type of sugar water would lead to more sugar on the antibody.

“The theory actually worked. The mice that received this type of sugar water had smaller perforations in their bone tissue. They also developed less cancer,” says Standal.

Now she has to carry out more animal experiments to move forward on the path towards a treatment that can give patients with bone marrow cancer a better life.

“I think it might be realistic to try this on a small group of patients in four to five years,” says Standal.

Individual psychological well-being may guard heart health in Black adults

Emory University, Oct. 7, 2020

Feeling optimistic, that you have a sense of purpose in life and that you are in control of your environment – characteristics of psychosocial resilience – are associated with having better cardiovascular health among Black adults, independent of neighborhood context, according to a study published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

Highlighting a relatively understudied area of research, this study shows that psychosocial well-being, or resilience, may positively affect cardiovascular health among Black people. One known factor that negatively impacts health in the Black community is the neighborhood itself, as people living in neighborhoods with more socioeconomic disadvantages have higher rates of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from these factors. Living in a neighborhood with fewer or limited socio-economic resources is recognized as one of a number of social determinants of health, which are factors that may affect one’s risk of cardiovascular disease.

“Cardiovascular health differences between Black and white Americans have been documented for decades; however, individual factors within Black Americans that might contribute to better cardiovascular health are not well understood,” said Tené T. Lewis, Ph.D., FAHA, a clinical psychologist and associate professor of epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, and one of the principal investigators of the study. “Almost everything we know about Black Americans and their health focuses on deficits, yet we really need to begin to identify strengths. Understanding which strengths matter most for Black Americans – and under which contexts – will allow us to develop the most appropriate and applicable public health interventions for this group.

The study investigated whether individual psychosocial resilience and neighborhood-level cardiovascular resilience were associated with better cardiovascular health in Black adults, based on the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7® metrics. Life’s Simple 7 are seven individual measures that quantify heart health: smoking status, physical activity, diet, weight, and levels of blood glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure.

Researchers recruited 389 adult volunteers with no prior history of CVD (ages 30-70, 39% male) who self-identified as Black or African American, living in the greater Atlanta region, as part of a substudy in the American Heart Association-funded Morehouse-Emory Cardiovascular (MECA) Center for Health Equity study. The MECA Study of 1,500 Black adults, conducted from 2016-2019, investigated socioenvironmental and individual behavioral measures that promote resilience to cardiovascular disease in Black adults by assessing biological, functional and molecular mechanisms in the greater Atlanta, metropolitan area.

Participants completed multiple standard questionnaires during in-person interviews that gauged their psychosocial health. The questionnaires were focused on their perceptions of control over their own environment; whether they feel they have a sense of purpose in life; their level of optimism; and assessing coping skills and depressive symptoms. Participants also received physical examinations and blood analysis. People with prior cardiovascular events, human immunodeficiency virus, lupus, cancer, substance abuse, psychiatric illness, or who were pregnant, or nursing were excluded from the study.

The psychosocial and physical data of participants were compared to the corresponding neighborhood data on heart and stroke disease and deaths rates according to the 2010 U.S. Census Tract.

Among the findings, Black adults with higher psychosocial resilience scores who lived in neighborhoods with high rates of heart disease and stroke had a 12.5% lower incidence of cardiovascular disease compared to those with lower psychosocial resilience in the same neighborhoods.

“It was somewhat surprising that our psychosocial resilience measures were more strongly associated with cardiovascular health than the neighborhood-level resilience measure. We assumed that being both high on psychosocial resilience and living in a resilient neighborhood would be the most beneficial for cardiovascular health, yet what we found was that psychosocial resilience demonstrated the most robust association regardless of the neighborhood resilience measure,” Lewis said.

Among the study’s limitations are that the small number of participants were from a single city, therefore, the results may not be generalizable to Black adults across the U.S. or in other countries. The study also did not assess structural characteristics of the neighborhoods, such

as walkability or access to food, or environmental factors like air pollution. Further research is needed to examine the factors within a community and how, together with and compared to other social determinants of health, they impact psychosocial well-being and overall health in Black Americans.

“As a result of the heartbreaking consequences of COVID-19 and the inhumanity of George Floyd’s death, we are having a national conversation about the ways in which structural and interpersonal racism have shaped Black Americans’ lives and deaths,” Lewis added. “More studies like this are necessary to fully understand the factors that promote better health for Black Americans, who are, based on current numbers, at the highest risk for COVID-19 as well as cardiovascular disease. With this information, we can create new systems of support and care that can lead to improved psychosocial resilience, which could, in turn, improve health outcomes.”

An editorial by Amber E. Johnson, M.D., M.S., M.B.A., and Jared W. Magnani, M.D., M.S., assistant professors of medicine in cardiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is publishing simultaneously with Lewis et. al‘s article.

They note the study “… complements the existing data describing LS7 [Life’s Simple 7] among Black individuals by adding the association of resilience with health outcomes. Few studies of resilience have focused on Black individuals.” While they noted several limitations of the study, they support that its findings “… underscore the importance of psychosocial support and empowerment for Black patients at risk for developing CVD. However, the factors that moderate the relationship between resilience and cardiovascular health have yet to be defined.”

Notably, Johnson and Magnani comment, “Although resilience techniques can be taught, to do so requires intentional acknowledgement of the conditions and experiences from which the adversity originated. The community context in which resilience thrives not only includes psychosocial well-being. Economic well-being and health care accessibility are needed as well. Eliminating disparities in cardiovascular health will require community-engaged partnerships based on common goals to provide care and to rebuild health care systems. We advocate for promoting health equity and social justice first, thereby rendering interventions to bolster resilience unnecessary.”

Green Tea Helps Cystitis Sufferers And Prevents Antibiotic Resistance

Kerman University of Medical Sciences (Iran), October 9, 2020

If you are one of the millions of women who have suffered from a painful urinary tract infection, a common cause of cystitis, make sure you have green tea in your kitchen cabinet. Science has yielded proof that this delicious drink can help you heal faster and ensure that the antibiotics are effective.

A frequently prescribed antibiotic combination, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, is used to treat many types of infection, including bronchitis, middle ear infections and cystitis, a common infection of the bladder.[i] Sold under the brand names Bactrim®, Bactrim BS® and Sulfatrim Pediatric®, these antibiotics, jointly called co-trimoxazole, have proven effective against E. coli, the bacteria responsible for up to 95% of cystitis infections.[ii] But the overuse of antibiotics worldwide has caused many bacterial strains, including E. coli, to become increasingly drug-resistant, prompting scientists to explore the use of anti-microbial herbs in combination with antibiotics in order to boost their efficacy.

Co-trimoxazole has been shown in clinical studies to have synergistic effects when combined with green tea catechins, powerful antimicrobials and active polyphenols in green tea.

These synergistic effects were explored by researchers at Kerman University of Medical Sciences in Kerman, Iran, in a pioneering clinical trial investigating green tea as an adjunct therapy for treatment of cystitis in women.

In this triple-blind, randomized trial, researchers selected 35 patients from a sample group of healthy, premenopausal, non-pregnant adult women between 18 and 50 years of age with acute uncomplicated cystitis.

Women with complicating factors such as diabetes, discharge or vaginitis, as well as regular green tea drinkers were excluded from consideration. Researchers hypothesized that the response rate to co-trimoxazole would be around 50%, and that this rate would rise to around 80% by adding green tea to patients’ daily intake.

To test their hypothesis, 107 patients were allocated into one of two groups, experimental or placebo (control). Participants were assigned to receive four 500-milligram (mg) capsules of green tea in the experimental group, while the control group received the same number of starch-only capsules with identical shape, color and packaging.

Both groups were dosed daily for a period of three days, while also receiving the standard course of antibiotic treatment: two 480-mg tablets of co-trimoxazole twice daily for three days.

Green Tea Has Powerful Antimicrobial Effects

Green tea is known for powerful healing properties, including the ability to fight viral infections and prevent periodontal disease. In prior studies on the antimicrobial effect of green tea for UTIs, it has been noted that effectiveness is enhanced when green tea is administered before bed due to the retention of therapeutic catechins in the bladder overnight.[iv]

Study authors noted that more than 90% of the antimicrobial agents in green tea are excreted in the first eight hours after ingestion, therefore the patients received their capsules in the evening during the study period.[v]

The presence of acute uncomplicated cystitis symptoms was recorded via urinalysis at baseline and also on the fourth day at the end of the study period. Patients were screened for symptoms during the three-day trial via phone consultation.

Patients whose symptoms were not resolved on the fourth day were referred to physicians for further treatment, and patients were asked to return to the clinic at two, four and six weeks post-commencement for physician assessment of the symptoms of recurrent uncomplicated cystitis.

Green Tea Helps Women Treat Uncomplicated Cystitis

Of the 107 eligible participants, 70 women completed the trial. Women in the green tea group showed a statistically significant decrease in the prevalence of cystitis symptoms at each time point after initiating treatment in comparison with the placebo group.

Meanwhile, the addition of the green tea resulted in a statistically significant improvement in urinalysis results (abnormal urine color, the presence of pus and bacteria in the urine), with the exception of blood in the urine (hematuria), after three days of treatment.

Regarding side effects of treatment, seven patients in the placebo group and six in the green tea group reported mild nausea that was resolved within two days. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of nausea between the two groups. No other significant side effects were reported.

In the placebo group, 63% of the patients remained symptomatic, 37.1% had bacteriuria and 57.1% had pyuria on urinalysis after three days of co-trimoxazole therapy, suggesting that there is a high prevalence of co-trimoxazole resistance among E. coli strains in the urinary tract for individuals in this geographic region (Kerman, Iran).

Previous in vitro studies in Iran have reported that more than 47% of the E. coli isolates from patients with UTIs were resistant to cotrimoxazole.[vi], [vii] However, in the green tea group, almost all the patients responded to the treatment.

If the response rates were related to the synergistic effects of green tea catechins, it suggests that adding green tea to co-trimoxazole therapy could be a way to decrease and control the rates of co-trimoxazole resistance among uropathogenic E. coli strains.[viii]

In their final analysis, researchers concluded that green tea was an effective adjunct to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole therapy for treating acute uncomplicated cystitis in women. They concluded that this result could be related to antibacterial effects of green tea catechins and its synergistic effects when taken in conjunction with standard antibiotic treatment.

Natural compounds and autophagy: allies against neurodegeneration

University of Brescia (Italy), October 5, 2020

According to news originating from Brescia, Italy, research stated, “Prolonging the healthy life span and limiting neurological illness are imperative goals in gerontology. Age-related neurodegeneration is progressive and leads to severe diseases affecting motility, memory, cognitive function, and social life.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from University of Brescia: “To date, no effective treatments are available for neurodegeneration and irreversible neuronal loss. Bioactive phytochemicals could represent a natural alternative to ensure active aging and slow onset of neurodegenerative diseases in elderly patients. Autophagy or macroautophagy is an evolutionarily conserved clearing process that is needed to remove aggregate-prone proteins and organelles in neurons and glia. It also is crucial in synaptic plasticity. Aberrant autophagy has a key role in aging and neurodegeneration. Recent evidence indicates that polyphenols like resveratrol and curcumin, flavonoids, like quercetin, polyamine, like spermidine and sugars, like trehalose, limit brain damage in vitro and in vivo. Their common mechanism of action leads to restoration of efficient autophagy by dismantling misfolded proteins and dysfunctional mitochondria.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “This review focuses on the role of dietary phytochemicals as modulators of autophagy to fight Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, fronto-temporal dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and psychiatric disorders. Currently, most studies have involved in vitro or preclinical animal models, and the therapeutic use of phytochemicals in patients remains limited.”

Raspberries, ellagic acid reveal benefits in two studies

Oregon State University, October 10 2020.

Articles that appeared recently in the Journal of Berry Research report that raspberries and compounds present in the fruit could help support healthy body mass and motor function, including balance, coordination and strength.

In one study, Neil Shay and colleagues at Oregon State University fed mice a high fat, high sugar diet plus one of the following: raspberry juice concentrate, raspberry puree concentrate, raspberry fruit powder, raspberry seed extract, ellagic acid (a polyphenol that occurs in a relatively high amount in raspberries), raspberry ketone, or a combination of raspberry ketone and ellagic acid. Additional groups of animals received a high fat, high sugar diet alone or a low fat diet.

While mice that received the high fat and sugar diet alone experienced a significant increase in body mass, the addition of raspberry juice concentrate, raspberry puree concentrate or ellagic acid plus raspberry ketone helped prevent this effect. Of note, mice that received raspberry juice concentrate experienced gains similar to those of animals given a low fat diet. “We hope that the findings from this study can help guide the design of future clinical trials,” Dr Shay stated.

In another study, Barbara Shukitt-Hale, PhD, and her associates at Tufts University’s Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging gave 19 month old rats a control diet or a diet enhanced with raspberry extract for 11 weeks. Psychomotor behavior was assessed during week 7 and cognitive testing was conducted during weeks 9-10.

Animals that received raspberry performed better on psychomotor coordination and balance, and had better muscle tone, strength and stamina than those that received a control diet. “These results may have important implications for healthy aging,” stated Dr Shukitt-Hale. “While further research in humans is necessary, animal model studies are helpful in identifying deficits associated with normal aging.”

Vitamin D deficiency increased risk of COVID in healthcare workers, new study shows

University of Birmingham (UK), October 6 2020

Healthcare workers who self-isolated after developing symptoms of COVID-19 were more likely to have a vitamin D deficiency, with workers from Black, Asian or ethnic minority backgrounds particularly affected, a new study by experts at the University of Birmingham has found.

The study, an extension of previous work to establish convalescent immunity in NHS staff at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, analyzed blood samples from 392 healthcare workers recruited in May 2020 towards the end of the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Samples were first tested for the presence of SARS-Cov-2 antibodies using a unique in-house assay developed by the University’s Clinical Immunology Service in partnership with The Binding Site before undergoing testing to establish the concentration of vitamin D

Of the 392 workers, over half (55%) had SARS-Cov-2 antibodies, showing that they had been infected with the virus. A total of 61 (or 15.6%) were deficient in vitamin-D with significantly more of these staff coming from from BAME backgrounds or in junior doctor roles. Vitamin D levels were lower in younger and male staff, and those who had a high BMI.

Results also showed that staff who were vitamin D deficient were more likely to report symptoms of body aches and pains, but interestingly, not respiratory symptoms including breathlessness or a continuous cough. Vitamin levels were also lower in staff who reported symptoms of fever. Within the cohort as a whole, there was an increase in seroconversion (or the development of detectable SARS-Cov-2 antibodies) in staff with vitamin D deficiency (72%) compared to those without a deficiency (51%) suggesting that lower vitamin D levels could increase susceptibility to the virus. This was particularly prevalent in the proportion of BAME males who were vitamin D deficient (94%) compared to non-vitamin D deficient BAME males (52%).

Author Professor David Thickett, from the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Inflammation and Aging said: “Our study has shown that there is an increased risk of COVID-19 infection in healthcare workers who are deficient in vitamin D. Our data adds to the emerging evidence from studies in the UK and globally that individuals with severe COVID-19 are more vitamin D deficient than those with mild disease. Finally, our results, combined with existing evidence further demonstrates the potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation in individuals at risk of vitamin D deficiency or who are shown to be deficient as a way to potentially alleviate the impact of COVID-19.”

The full pre-print paper “Vitamin D status and seroconversion for COVID-19 in UK healthcare workers who isolated for COVID-19 like symptoms during the 2020 pandemic” is available on MedRxiv.